roasted leg of lamb:proper cooking time

[angel hair]

hi,

it seems that there are a variety of times to cook leg of lamb (3 lbs) medium-rare;
i have it in the oven now on 350; should it be ready in an hour? and should it be covered?

thanks!
sheli

[Sandyj]

You don't have to cover your roast - it will get nice and brown on the top if you don't. An hour sounds a bit too little - but it depends on the size of the roast. I do about a 7-8 pound roast (bone in) on 350 for at least 2 1/4 hours. In the last hour, I put potatoes around the roast, turning them after about 20 minutes, then checking again just before the hour us up.

[ironchef]

Originally Posted by angel hair

hi,

it seems that there are a variety of times to cook leg of lamb (3 lbs) medium-rare;
i have it in the oven now on 350; should it be ready in an hour? and should it be covered?

thanks!
sheli

Is it a boneless leg, whole leg, shank, etc.? Whether or not it has a bone-in or not will slightly change the cooking time. I usually roast it loosely covered with foil at a lower temp. (300-325) and usually you allow about 20 minutes per pound for medium rare (140 internal temp.) and about 30 minutes per pound for medium (150 internal temp).

The best investment you can make however would be a meat thermometer or instant read thermometer.

[angel hair]

i ended up roasting it covered for about 1 hr; it came out delicious but a liitle too well done for my liking.....next time i will have a meat thermometer for sure :)