Roasting large cuts of meat in Convection is always a good choice. Not only do large cuts of meat cook faster, they retain more moisture, and you can cook multiple dishes at one time. Most importantly, remember that even when cooking in Convection, roast the meat on a rack in a shallow pan.

A semi-boneless leg of lamb is an excellent cut for roasting in the Convection Roast Mode. You get the benefits of roasting with the bone, and carving nice slices on either side of the bone is straightforward. Best of all, if your oven has an internal meat probe, you can cook the meat to the exact degree of doneness you want. Wireless probes are a good option for ovens that do not have a meat probe; otherwise, checking the meat with an instant-read thermometer to determine the internal temperature close to the end of the recipe time will help avoid over-cooking.

I set my meat probe to 130°F, and the meat was evenly cooked, with just a few well-done slices on the edges. After resting for 20 minutes, the internal temperature had risen to 145°F. 

As a guideline for timing, if your oven doesn’t have a meat probe, the cooking time of my 4.25lb roast was approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. So, checking your roast around that time should give you a good reading if checking the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer.

Because my side dishes were quick-cooking, I didn’t add them until I removed the lamb from the oven. I increased the oven temperature to 350°F; they were hot and ready to serve when the lamb rested and was carved.

INGREDIENTS

1 4-5lb semi-boneless roast

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp dried herbs de Provence

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

PREPARATION

With the point of a sharp knife, cut a series of thin slits all over the lamb.

Combine the salt, herbs, and oil and rub into the lamb.

Push the sliced garlic into the slits, cover the roast, and refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours before cooking. Let the lamb sit outside the refrigerator for at least one hour before cooking.

Heat the oven in the Convection Roast Mode 425°F and place the lamb on a rack in a shallow pan. 

Insert the needle part of the meat probe into the meat at an angle and slide the pan into the oven. 

 Insert the probe into the receptacle and close the door. Touch the probe symbol or icon and program in the desired temperature. In my oven, I have to touch the probe symbol again to confirm, so be sure to look at your oven User Guide to be sure you have programmed the oven correctly.

Now, set the kitchen timer for 15 minutes, and when the timer has elapsed, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F for the remainder of the cooking time. When using an oven meat probe, the oven will turn off automatically when the programmed temperature has been reached.

Remove the meat and set it aside to rest loosely covered with foil. Reprogram the oven in the Convection Roast Mode to 350 - 375° to cook any oven side dishes.

Serves 6 - 8

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