Spanish Roast Lamb (Cordero Asado or Lechazo)

By
Lisa & Tony Sierra
Lisa & Tony Sierra
Lisa and Tony Sierra are freelance writers and Spanish food experts who lead culinary tours of the country.
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Updated on 07/1/21
Cordero asado (Spanish roast lamb)
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Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 2 hrs
Total: 2 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 8 to 10 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1620 Calories
121g Fat
0g Carbs
122g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories 1620
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 121g 156%
Saturated Fat 51g 254%
Cholesterol 500mg 167%
Sodium 417mg 18%
Total Carbohydrate 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 122g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 85mg 7%
Iron 9mg 52%
Potassium 1546mg 33%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This roast lamb recipe serves 8 to 10 people with one-half of a suckling lamb or lechazo weighing 9 to 11 pounds. Lamb in the U.S. is generally very large since the most popular cut is leg of lamb. Lambs in the USA are slaughtered much older than it is customary to do in Europe. So, if you are unable to buy a suckling lamb through your local butcher, purchase a leg of lamb (bone-in).

Ingredients

  • 1/2 suckling lamb, approximately 9 to 11 pounds

  • 6 ounces lard, or vegetable shortening, melted; substitute olive oil if desired

  • Salt, to taste

Steps to Make It

Note: Although the traditional method for roasting lamb includes rubbing the lamb with lard or vegetable shortening, extra virgin olive oil is now often used instead.

  1. In a small saucepan, heat the lard or vegetable shortening until it melts. If you prefer, use a small bowl and heat in a microwave oven.

  2. Heat oven to 400 F.

  3. Trim excess fat off the lamb and discard.

  4. Place lamb in ​the roasting pan or another oven-proof dish. (Traditionally, the Spanish use large, open clay dishes.) Rub the lamb with salt and baste with the melted lard.

  5. Place in oven to roast. Occasionally baste with lard and turn until lamb is golden brown on the outside and meat is tender.

  6. Roast potatoes are a great accompaniment to this dish. To roast potatoes, peel 8-10 small potatoes and cut in half. Place in the roasting pan around the lamb. Baste with lard when you baste the lamb.

The amount of time that the lamb spends in the oven will depend on how thick the piece(s) of meat are. A good rule of thumb for a bone-in leg of lamb at 400 F is to allow about 30 minutes roasting time per pound of lamb.

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