Kalamata Stuffed Lamb

I love lamb and this is one of my favorite recipes. I've made this with mushrooms (use regular black olives and saute the mushrooms first and omit the thyme)

1 leg of lamb 7-8 lbs; boneless and butterflied (have the butcher do this for you)
1 c fresh bread crumbs
¼ c flat leaf parsley-chopped
3 lg cloves garlic, chopped
½ lb kalamata (or other Mediterranean style olive) coarsely chopped
½ lb Feta cheese, crumbled
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs dried rosemary chopped
2 tbs pure Olive Oil
2 tbs Lemon juice (about 1 lemon)


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lay the butterflied leg of lamb flat on a work surface, fat-side down and pound briefly to flatten. Combine the bread crumbs, parsley, garlic, feta cheese, olives, rosemary, olive oil and lemon juice in a bowl and blend well to make a coarse stuffing for the lamb. Spread the stuffing evenly along the center of the inside of the leg of lamb. Fold the lamb toward the center, one side then the other, to enclose the stuffing and form a roll. Tie the roll in several places with butchers twine so that it does not open during cooking. Season the outside of the lamb with the salt and pepper and place, seam-side down in a roasting pan. Place in the oven and roast 70 minutes, for medium rare. Remove the lamb and allow the roast to cool 20 minutes before slicing.