Description
Instant Pot Boneless Leg of Lamb. Pot roasted leg of lamb, pressure cooked to fall apart tenderness.
Ingredients
- 4- to 5-pound boneless leg of lamb roast, cut into 4 pieces, each roughly 4-inches by 2-inches by 2-inches
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary (or dried)
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme (or dried)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup red wine (I usually use a blend, like a cote du rhone) or water
- 1 cup chicken broth (homemade or low sodium store-bought) or water
- 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths
Instructions
- Season and sear the roast: Remove any netting from the lamb roast, unroll it and lay it out flat, and cut it into 4 pieces, each roughly 4” x 2” x 2”. Sprinkle the lamb with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. Rub the garlic, rosemary, and thyme into the lamb pieces, working it in to any natural crevices in the meat. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, using Sauté mode adjusted to high, until the oil is shimmering. (Use medium-high heat in a stovetop pressure cooker.) Sear the lamb in two batches, two pieces at a time. Sear each piece on 2 sides – use the largest sides – until it is well browned, about 3 minutes a side. (So, about 12 minutes total.) After searing, put the lamb on a platter and set aside for later.
- Sauté the aromatics: Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pressure cooker pot, and heat until shimmering. Add the onion and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté until the onion softens, about 3 minutes, stirring and scraping the browned lamb bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Pour in the wine, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 1 minute to boil off some of the alcohol.
- Everything in the pot: Pour in the chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pot one last time to loosen any browned bits of onion. Add the platter of lamb (and any lamb juices) to the pot, then scatter the carrots on top.
- Pressure cook the lamb leg for 50 minutes with a natural release: Lock the pressure cooker lid and cook at high pressure for 50 minutes (“Pressure Cook” or “Manual” mode in an Instant Pot), or for 45 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 more minutes. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes).
- Defat the sauce and serve: Gently move the pieces of lamb to a serving platter, and the carrots to a serving bowl, using tongs or a slotted spoon. Pour the remaining liquid in the pot into a fat separator and let settle for five minutes. Cut each piece of lamb in half, pour a little of the defatted sauce over it, and serve, passing the rest of the sauce and the carrots on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
What if my boneless leg of lamb is bigger? Or smaller? As long as you cut it into roughly 2” by 2” by 4” pieces, each weighing a pound or so, the timing on the recipe stays the same. The cooking time is determined by the size of each piece, not the total weight. Don’t decrease the amount of liquid in the recipe, though; a pressure cooker needs the liquid to come up to pressure.
After cooking, I cut each piece of lamb in half and serve them as mini-roasts, because most people don't want a pound of lamb per serving. You can also slice the lamb into ½-inch thick slices and fan them out on a platter - no one will ever know you cooked them as smaller roasts.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: French