Oven-Baked Crown Roast of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary

👨‍🍳 Method

1. 1
   1 hour before roasting, take the thigh out of the fridge to come to room temperature.
2. 2
   Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F).

   ⚙ Preheating the OvenOven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
3. 3
   Grind the garlic, rosemary, thyme, olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, salt and black pepper in a food processor into a paste.

   ⚙ Grinding in a Food ProcessorFood processor

   💡In a food processor, grind in short pulses and check between pulses: it's easy to go from coarse to paste. (Sesame for tahini, on the other hand, is ground continuously.)
4. 4
   Place the thigh in the pan.

   Baking pan
5. 5
   Bake uncovered 20 minutes, until the outside of the thigh browns.

   ⚙ BakingOvenBaking pan

   💡The blast of heat at the start browns the outside of the roast; then a lower heat cooks it slowly through to the center, and it stays pink.

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
6. 6
   When the time is up, lower the heat to 180°C (355°F) and keep roasting for 40 minutes, until the meat is medium-well (68–70°C (155–160°F) on a thermometer).

   OvenBaking pan
7. 7
   Transfer the thigh to a board and let rest 15 minutes before carving.

   Cutting board

   💡As it rests, the juices move back from the edges to the center, and the remaining heat keeps cooking it a little: a roast sliced right away loses its juices on the board.
8. 8
   Slice the thigh fine, across the grain.

   KnifeCutting board