Abbacchio al forno con patate
Rome's Easter roast: young lamb on the bone rubbed with garlic, rosemary and olive oil, roasted with potatoes and a splash of white wine.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 20 min
- Rest
- 1 hr
- Total
- 2 hr 40 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Treat yourself$28+ USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Abbacchio is the Roman word for very young, milk-fed lamb, and roasting it with potatoes is how Rome celebrates Easter. Use a leg or shoulder of young lamb cut through the bone into large pieces, so the meat cooks evenly and the bone flavours it. Rub the pieces with a paste of garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper and olive oil, and leave them for an hour or overnight. Spread them in a roasting pan with chunks of potato, more rosemary and oil, splash with white wine, and roast hot, turning everything once or twice, until the lamb is browned and tender and the potatoes are crisp at the edges and soft inside. Young lamb is lean and delicate, so it needs no long cooking. Done is golden, garlicky lamb coming away from the bone, with potatoes that have soaked up its juices.
What you'll need
8 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
- Lamb, leg or shoulder of young lamb, on the bone, cut into large pieces1½ kg
- Potato, peeled, in large chunks1 kg
- Garlic, finely chopped4 clove
- Rosemary, needles stripped, 2 sprigs left whole4 sprig
- Olive oil, extra virgin89 ml
- Dry white wine150 ml
- Black pepper4.9 ml
- Salt9.9 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Chop the garlic and rosemary needles together with the salt and pepper, and mix with 3 tbsp oil. Rub it all over the lamb and leave 1 hour at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge.
10 min
Step 2
Heat the oven to 200°C. Toss the potatoes with the rest of the oil, a pinch of salt and the whole rosemary sprigs, and spread them in a roasting pan with the lamb on and among them.
5 min
Step 3
Roast 30 minutes, then pour the wine over, turn the lamb and potatoes and roast 40–50 minutes more, basting once or twice, until the lamb is browned and tender. Rest 10 minutes before serving.
80 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 977 kcal
- Protein
- 66.2 g
- Carbs
- 29.7 g
- Fat
- 64.8 g
- Saturated fat
- 24.2 g
- Fibre
- 3.8 g
- Sugar
- 1.5 g
- Sodium
- 887 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- No major allergens flagged in the structured ingredients.
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 11 November.
Substitutions
Milk-fed lamb → Spring lamb shoulder
Fattier and bigger; roast 15–20 minutes longer.
Tips
- Australian lamb is older and larger than Roman abbacchio: ask for the youngest lamb your butcher has, or a spring lamb shoulder, and allow the longer cooking time.
- If the potatoes are not crisp when the lamb is done, take the lamb out to rest and give them 10 minutes more.
History & culture
In Rome and across Lazio abbacchio is the heart of Easter lunch, when the spring lambs are at their best and the lamb stands for the season. Abbacchio Romano is protected as an EU Protected Geographical Indication: lambs born and raised in Lazio and fed on their mothers' milk. Romans also grill it as scottadito cutlets or braise it with vinegar and anchovy, but the roast is the feast-day dish.
Sheep have grazed the hills of Lazio since antiquity, and the old transhumance routes brought flocks down to the Roman countryside each winter, so young lambs were plentiful just as Lent ended. The word 'abbacchio' is usually traced to the Latin 'ad baculum', 'by the stick', for the stake young lambs were tied to while their mothers grazed.
Traditional — Young lamb on the bone, garlic, rosemary, olive oil, white wine and potatoes, roasted.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Abbacchio al forno con patate take?
2 hr 40 min all in — 20 min prep, 1 hr 20 min cook, 1 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 6 plates. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Gluten-free, Dairy-free.
What does it cost to cook?
Treat yourself — about $28+ USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
6 more questionsFewer questions
What equipment do I need?
Oven, Baking tray, Chef's knife.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 2 tsp.
What can I use instead?
Milk-fed lamb → Spring lamb shoulder. Fattier and bigger; roast 15–20 minutes longer.
Any tips from this recipe?
Australian lamb is older and larger than Roman abbacchio: ask for the youngest lamb your butcher has, or a spring lamb shoulder, and allow the longer cooking time. If the potatoes are not crisp when the lamb is done, take the lamb out to rest and give them 10 minutes more.
Can I prepare this ahead?
Chop the garlic and rosemary needles together with the salt and pepper, and mix with 3 tbsp oil. Rub it all over the lamb and leave 1 hour at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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