Garlicky Leg of Lamb with Yogurt Sauce

For some reason, I felt like I needed to try a lamb recipe this year for Easter. I narrowed it down to a leg of lamb, since that was the most cost effective cut that I could find. When I saw this step by step recipe in my April issue of Cooking Light I knew that this was what I needed to make.

Garlicky Leg of Lamb with Yogurt Sauce
From: David Bonom,Cooking Light magazine, April 2011

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 (6-pound) bone-in leg of lamb, trimmed
10 garlic cloves, halved
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup diced English cucumber
1/4 cup diced plum tomato
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced

Directions:
Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Cut 20 (3/4-inch-deep) slits in lamb. Press 1 garlic half into each slit. Rub lamb with lemon mixture. Cover and marinate in refrigerator at least 5 hours.

Preheat oven to 450°.

Sprinkle lamb with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Place lamb on a wire rack coated with cooking spray; place rack in a roasting pan. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Bake lamb at 450° for 20 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 375° (do not remove lamb).

Bake an additional 55 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 130°. Let stand for 15 minutes; cut across the grain into slices.

Combine yogurt and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Serve with lamb.

The Result:
This was delicious and picture perfect for our special Easter meal. It was fairly easy to put together, however these recipe instructions do not tell you how to trim the leg of lamb beforehand (the magazine had a step by step photo guide). I tell ya, the trimming was probably the hardest part of this whole process. If you can't find detailed help with photos on how to go about doing this, then I would highly suggest having you butcher take care of it for you. Other than that, this lamb recipe was awesome and everyone loved it!