These delicious sandwiches make a wonderful, satisfying dinner. Thin slices of tender roast lamb, fresh spinach, tomatoes and sweet onion are served on a soft roll, spread with a combination of roasted garlic, mayonnaise, lemon and thyme. Serve with chips or fries and a pickle.
PrintLamb Sandwiches with Roasted Garlic and Thyme Mayo
A great alternative to roast beef, these sandwiches are made with thinly sliced roast lamb, spinach, tomato, sweet onion and a roasted-garlic mayo flavored with lemon and fresh thyme.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 12 thin slices boneless, roasted leg of lamb (instructions follow)
- 2 heads garlic
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 paper-thin slices sweet onion
- Fresh spinach leaves
- 1 large tomato, thinly sliced
- 4 soft sandwich rolls
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. With a sharp knife, trim about 1/4-inch off the top of the head of garlic (just enough to expose the interior of each clove). Drizzle with the olive oil and wrap loosely in aluminum foil. Roast for 45 to 50 minutes, until the garlic is soft and sweet. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Separate the cloves of garlic and gently squeeze the bottoms until the cloves pop out of the open ends. Place in a small bowl and mash with a fork.
- Add the mayonnaise, lemon juice and thyme leaves to the roasted garlic. Combine until smooth and set aside for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.
- Slice the sandwich rolls and spread the roasted garlic mayo on both the top and bottom of the roll. Place a layer of spinach leaves on the bottom, top with onion, tomato and lamb. Serve with chips and a pickle spear.
Notes
Recipe Variation:
The distinctive flavor of roast lamb is, in our opinion, what makes these sandwiches so delicious, but in a pinch, you could use thinly sliced, rare roast beef or even turkey from the deli and you'd still have a pretty tasty sandwich.
Shopping for a Boneless Leg of Lamb:
Look for a boned and butterflied leg of lamb that's been rolled and tied into a cylindrical shape for roasting.
A full-size boneless leg of lamb weighs in the neighborhood of 5 to 6 pounds, but many markets sell nicely trimmed, smaller roasts weighing in at about 2-1/2 lbs.
Ours was just about that size, trimmed of excess fat, rolled and encased in netting.
How to Roast a Boneless Leg of Lamb:
- To ensure even cooking, bring the meat to room temperature by removing from the refrigerator at least one hour in advance.
- Make a rub using 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 finely chopped clove of garlic, 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Rub the paste over the outside of the roast (don't worry about the netting) and place it in a roasting pan.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and roast the lamb for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 °F and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 125°F, 20 to 40 minutes longer. Times are variable and you don't want to overcook your lamb, so be sure to start testing for doneness with an accurate thermometer at the 25 minute mark.
- Transfer the roast to a cutting board and allow to rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving.
Olive says
Love your recipes, could you email them to me? Thanks olive