Learn How to Carve a Leg of Lamb

This post comes to us courtesy of food writer and editor James Schend, blogger at Dairy Freed. 

Maybe it’s the Fred Flintstone in me, but I love cooking meat on the bone. So when I attended the taste testing of this year’s Easter menu, I was excited to see a bone-in leg of lamb. However, my first thought wasn’t how good the lamb was or how easy it is to make; it literally was, “Does everyone know how to carve a leg of lamb?”

The process might seem intimidating, but it’s really very simple. All you have to do is follow these six steps.

Grip the leg with a kitchen towel Place the leg on a carving board that has a recessed channel around the perimeter to help catch the juices. Hold the end of the shank bone firmly with a kitchen towel, angling the leg down and away from you.

Prepare to carve Turn the leg onto its side to expose the meaty part of the shank. Tilt the leg slightly upward and, using a sharp carving knife, make a thin cut away from yourself and the bone.

Carve the meat off the bone Continue carving the meat parallel to the first slice into slices 1/2 inch thick until you reach the bone.

Carve the second side of the leg Turn and carve the second side of the leg in the same way you carved the first, creating 1/2-inch slices. As you cut, arrange the meat in neat piles on the carving board.

Note the levels of doneness As you reach the center of the leg of lamb, the meat will be progressively rarer. Arrange the meat in separate piles reflecting the relative doneness so your guests can choose what they like.

Transfer to a serving platter Using the fork and carving knife in unison, gently lift the sliced pieces from the board and transfer to a warmed serving platter in a neat pile.

About the author: A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, James Schend’s culinary career began when he won his first cooking contest at 8 years old. He’s gone on to write and develop recipes for national magazines and culinary websites. His own blog Dairy Freed focuses on the challenges of dairy-free cooking.