In just a few steps, you will have this succulent paleo lamb roast tucked in the oven, all dressed up with garlic and fragrant fresh rosemary. In fact, you will be surprised at how easy it is to make this recipe! I used to be intimidated by a big piece of meat, like a leg of lamb, a buffalo roast, or even a steak!
Bigger pieces of red meat tend to be more pricey than chicken legs or ground turkey! I definitely can’t afford to buy expensive cuts on a regular basis, but it is something I will splurge on for the holidays or a special celebration.
For a long time, I had no idea how to prepare and cook such big pieces of meat. More often than not, I used to overcook everything! The meat would be super dry and unpalatable. Ask my family! Now those days are over. I have perfected my technique through trial and error, and I am glad to share my experience with you today.
TRY THIS PALEO LAMB ROAST WITH GOLDEN BEETS & SHALLOTS
FOR YOUR NEXT HOLIDAY CELEBRATION!
Substitutions. I purposely chose golden beets and shallots to accompany my paleo lamb roast because they are tasty root vegetables, they are packed with nutrients we all need to heal our bodies, and they look so pretty!
I have tried red beets instead of golden beets. Red beets are also super healthy but they tend to color all the other ingredients with an unnatural blood red tint. Not very appetizing in my opinion, but you can certainly try it!
I also chose shallots instead of regular onions because they are easier to digest, and they have a milder, more subtle taste than onions. However you can definitely use regular onions (yellow, white, or red) instead of shallots. Once again, this dish is a little bit more festive and you might want to go the extra mile and use shallots, even if they are more expensive than onions.
Cooking time. Ah, cooking time. This is where you can make it or brake it! I am going to ask you to trust me on this: for a moist, tender, and juicy lamb roast, you MUST cook the meat for a longer time BUT at a lower temperature, no higher than 350 degrees F. Turn up the heat in the oven to 400 degrees F and you are sure the meat will come out dry and way too hard. Yes, it takes a little bit more time and some planning ahead, but the results are really worth the effort.
How long you should cook the lamb depends entirely on the weight of the meat. In this recipe, I used a boneless leg of lamb of 2.40 lbs and the perfect cooking time was 75 minutes. I placed the dish on the middle rack. If your roast is bigger or smaller, you will need to adjust the cooking time accordingly. Here is a great timetable for roasting meats.
- Boneless leg of lamb (2 to 2 1/2 lbs.)
- 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil + extra for greasing the pan
- 4 cloves of garlic, each clove cut lengthwise into 3 pieces
- 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves separated from the stem
- 4 big golden beets, quartered
- 3/4 pound shallots
- 1 TSP of sea salt (or more to taste)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place the rack in the middle. Grease a broiler pan with olive oil.
- Place the lamb in the center. With a paring knife, cut one dozen small openings all over the meat.
- Insert 1 piece of garlic and 1 small bunch of rosemary leaves into each opening.
- Arrange the beets and shallots around the meat.
- Season the meat and vegetables with 1 TBSP of olive oil, salt, and chopped rosemary.
- Cook in the oven for 75 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables occasionally, or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145°F.
- Adjust the cooking time according to the weight of the lamb roast.
- When done, transfer the lamb to a cutting board and wait 10 minutes before slicing.
This paleo lamb roast recipe has been shared on the following link parties: Fat Tuesday – Real Food Wednesday – Phoenix Helix AIP Recipe Roundtable – Awesome Life Friday – Natural Family Friday –
This looks fantastic, Sophie! I can’t wait to try it 🙂
Thanks Erin 🙂 I appreciate your compliment!
Looks amazing! I’ve never had lamb before, but I keep seeing awesome recipes like this one, so I think I’ll have to try it soon!
Hello Chelsea!
Thanks for stopping by 🙂 The recipe is really easy – give it a try!
I love lamb – never thought of serving it with beets, but the roasted golden beets look just beautiful! Thanks so much for linking up to Awesome Life Friday – I hope you’ll come back again this week! http://rchreviews.blogspot.com
Perfect! I have a just over two pound leg of lamb I’m making for Easter and this will be so easy! The only thing is my husband wants potatoes too! :p Since we can all eat potatoes here (and I hate to even ask this), is it possible to throw in a large chopped red potato or some whole fingerlings or new potatoes with this dish? I was going to try your roasted lamb from your book but this looks easier and I love one pot meals! 🙂
Hello Amy!
Yes, you can add red potatoes. Since potatoes cook fairly quickly, I would check them while the lamb is cooking and remove them as soon as they are done. Add them back to the pan with the meat right before serving 🙂 Happy Easter!
Thank you, Simone! Happy Easter! 🙂
Simone, do you have a side salad or side dish suggestion with this main dish ?
Hi there Amy,
You make me laugh because my name is not Simone but Sophie 🙂 This AIP ratatouille is the perfect side dish to go with lamb!
OMG! Of course your name is Sophie!!!!
I just had some surgery and shouldn’t be messaging while on pain meds! LOL :p Thank you so much for all your help and suggestions, Sophie! I’m really looking forward to a lovely Easter dinner….and my family cooking it for me! I’m obviously a walking/talking hazard right now and need to stay far away from sharp kitchen utensils and hot ovens! LOL
joyeuses Pâques!
Hi Sophie!
I just wanted to come back and tell you what a fantastique Easter feast we had thanks to this delicious recipe! We ended up making it as is (no potatoes) and it was fabulous! The lamb was super tender and we loved the subtle sweetness of the golden beets with the shallots! We served with roasted asparagus. So easy to put together that even on a weeknight we would make this!
Merci beaucoup!
Thank you so much for your feedback Amy 🙂 I am so glad that you and your family enjoyed this recipe! It is also one of our favorite, especially for celebrations. Great idea to serve it with roasted asparagus. Wishing you all the best.
I just knew you would have a lamb recipe. I just bought a bone in leg of lamb. Can I still use this recipe?
Hi Lisa!
Yes, you can definitely use a bone-in leg of lamb in this recipe. – Sophie