- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 (8 pound) leg of lamb, boned and butterflied to a more or less even thickness, 4 3/4 to 5 1/2 pounds trimmed weight, fell and most fat removed
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Minced fresh parsley, cilantro or mint (optional)
- Mix oil, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin and oregano; spread paste on both sides of the lamb and let stand for an hour until meat comes to room temperature.
- Adjust oven rack to upper or upper-middle position (depending on lamb's thickness) and preheat broiler on high for at least 10 minutes.
- Place lamb, cut side up, on a large wire rack set over a foil-lined roasting pan. Broil, moving pan so entire surface browns evenly, about 8 minutes. Turn lamb over; continue to broil until well browned on the other side, about 8 minutes longer. Turn off broiler, remove lamb from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Heat oven to 325 degrees. Stick a meat thermometer into the thickest portion of the lamb; return it to the oven. Roast for a total of 50 minutes to 1 hour, until thermometer registers a rosy-pink 140 degrees. Check lamb several times after 30 minutes. If lamb gets done sooner, simply turn down oven to 170 degrees until ready to serve.
- As soon as lamb comes out of the oven, squeeze on lemon juice and sprinkle with fresh herbs. Carve, slicing across the grain when possible. Arrange on a platter, drizzle with accumulated juices, and serve.