Grilled Lamb Leg with Mint Pesto

Directions

1) Make the marinade. In the bowl of a food processor, add the parsley, mint, onion garlic, spices, lemon juice and olive oil. Run processor until you have a smooth green marinade.

2) Pound lamb. Place the lamb leg on a large cutting board, cover with heavy plastic wrap. Using the smooth side of a meat tenderizer or mallet like this one, pound lamb and make sure to even out any pieces that are too thick. But remember, the goal is NOT to achieve paper-thin lamb.

3) Pat the lamb leg dry and sprinkle generously with salt on both sides. Place lamb in a large freezer bag and spread the marinade all over it. Zip the bag closed and work the marinade into the lamb to make sure every part of the lamb is well coated.  Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

4) Remove lamb from fridge and let sit in room temperature for 20 minutes. (To make the lamb easier to turn on the grill you can insert a couple of metal skewers through the lamb, crosswise)

5) Heat an outdoor gas grill on high on all burners (this is just for the start).

6) Place lamb, fat-side down, on the hot grill. Sear 2 minutes or so, then turn over and sear on the other side for 2 minutes. Lower the heat to low (temperature between 300- and 350-degrees F). Cover and grill for 15 minutes or so, flipping once midway through, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the lamb reads 130 degrees F (for medium-rare). 

7) Remove from grill onto a cutting board. Cover with foil and let rest about 5 minutes. If using skewers, remove them, and cut across the grain and place on a serving platter.