Butterflied Leg-Of-Lamb with a
Provençal Olive Crust
The Lamb Cooperative
TAPENADE OLIVE PASTE
1/4 cup French black olive tapenade
or 1/2 cup French Nyon or Greek
Kalamata olives, pitted
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh savory
1 teaspoon freshly ground
black pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon, or more, extra virgin
olive oil
1 Australian boneless leg of lamb
(about 5 pounds), removed from
the netting
If starting with pitted olives, place them in a small bowl of a food processor and pulse
several times to chop, then add the remaining ingredients. Otherwise, combine the
jarred tapenade with the remaining ingredients in the food processor and pulse to
form a soft paste. If too dry, add additional olive oil.
Spread out the lamb in a baking dish or shallow bowl and generously rub all the
paste all over it. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 2 hours at room temperature or up
to 24 hours in the refrigerator. If marinating the lamb in the refrigerator before cooking,
remove the lamb from refrigerator and let rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
To grill, set up a charcoal or gas grill with fire on one side and the other side without fire.
When the heat is medium hot, place the lamb, fat side down, directly over the fire (do not
remove the olive coating) and sear for 5-7 minutes or until the meat begins to color and
brown. Turn and repeat for the other side of the lamb.
Transfer to the area of the grill without fire, cover the grill and continue to grill fat side up
for 40 minutes or until the internal temperature of the lamb reaches 135°F at the thickest
part. This area will yield medium rare meat while thinner areas will be more done. (If you
like rare lamb then remove it when it has an internal temperature of 125°F). After removing
the lamb, transfer it to a platter and let it rest 10-15 minutes loosely tented with foil before
carving. Slice into 1/4-inch slices and serve. Makes 6-8 servings.
Tip: Use leftovers in lamb sandwiches, or thinly slice the lamb and serve over salad greens
with a lemony vinaigrette.
