Lamb loin: the perfect boneless roast for couples

With Easter just around the corner, there is an increasing demand for lamb joints for Sunday Roasts. Most often we are asked for legs of lamb, but people often overlook another wonderful cut of lamb for roast dinners: lamb loin. 

What is lamb loin? 

Lamb loin comes from the middle part of the animal, and is sometimes called saddle of lamb or lamb middle. Lamb loin  comes from the same area of the animal as barsley chops. 

Some middle joints of lamb such as rack of lamb can be seen as a fiddly joint to cook, which can make people nervous when cooking it. The beauty of lamb loin is that it is boneless, which makes it easy to carve and fits nicely in a smaller oven. This makes it a great choice for smaller roasts and for couples. 

Why choose lamb loin over lamb leg? 

Lamb leg makes a delicious roast, but a leg will often feed 6 people easily, so if you are a smaller household then it can be a large roast to manage. A lamb loin, however, is ideal for 2–3 adults. Being rolled, the lamb loin will cook more evenly due to the consistent size and thickness of the meat throughout the joint.

Lamb loin will also often have some flank still attached, which makes it ideal for stuffing and rolling. This can be a great way to create a centrepiece for your Easter roast while avoiding having too much meat left over. And if you do end up with leftovers, lamb loin is easy to carve and slice, so it can be repurposed for lamb sandwiches or a variety of tasty dishes. 

Cooking lamb loin

Lamb loin has a layer of fat, which once rolled, will protect the outside of the joint during roasting. If you are stuffing your lamb loin, this will increase the cook time you need for the perfect pink lamb. 

We suggest preheating your oven to 200 °C for a fan oven. Then season your meat, starting with a nice rub of oil on the skin. Sear the fat of the lamb in a pan with to seal in the juiciness. Add your preferred combination of vegetables, herbs, and seasoning to make a trivet; we suggest rosemary, onion, carrot, celery, garlic and a few peppercorns. 

Pop the loin on the trivet skin side up in a heavy-based roasting tray and cook for 15-20 minutes per lb of meat. You want to make sure the core temperature reaches 65 °C as a minimum. 

Once cooked, remove the lamb loin from the oven and transfer it to a tray or board to rest. Cover with tin foil and a tea towel to ensure it stays warm while it rests for at least 20 minutes before carving. 

If you want to make preparing your lamb loin roast even easier, check out our loin of lamb stuffed with herbs and apricots, all ready to go in the oven. 

We are adding new recipes regularly, so please check out our other blogs for more lamb loin ideas.