- ½ milk-fed baby lamb (15 to 20 pounds)
- 4 large cloves garlic, cut into slivers
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary, or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- sea salt to taste
- Remove the lamb from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting. Preheat the oven to 400°F. With a small, sharp knife, make numerous small incisions on both sides of the lamb: in between the ribs, on the shoulder and legs, and between the joints. Slip garlic slivers into the cuts. Rub in the olive oil, rosemary, and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Place the meat on a rack in a large roasting pan. Slide the pan onto the middle rack of the oven. Immediately lower the heat to 350°F. For “pink” lamb, roast 12 minutes per pound. After 30 minutes, remove the lamb from the oven and close the oven door (to keep the oven temperature constant). Baste the lamb with its own juices and return it to the oven. Repeat every 20 minutes.
- Remove the lamb from the oven when the internal temperature of the thickest part of the meat reaches 130 F, and the surface is nicely browned, sprinkle with salt, and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Carve the meat and serve on a warmed platter with the degreased pan juices.