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1
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 500 degrees F. Using a paring knife, make deep cuts, 2 inches apart, all over the lamb; rub with 2 tablespoons salt and several grinds of pepper.
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2
Transfer the lamb to a roasting pan, fat-side up.
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3
Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon on top.
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4
Roast the lamb until most of the fat is rendered and the skin starts to brown, about 30 minutes.
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5
Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 30 to 40 minutes.
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6
Discard the fat from the pan and set the pan aside.
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7
Meanwhile, trim the greens from the turnips; reserve the greens for Stewed Turnip Greens.
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8
Cut any large turnips in half.
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9
Roughly chop 2 bunches scallions and transfer to a food processor.
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10
Add the parsley, dill, marjoram, celery and garlic and pulse to form a coarse paste.
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11
Holding the bone, stand the leg of lamb up and rub the paste all over it; return to the roasting pan.
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12
Cut the remaining 4 bunches scallions into 2-inch pieces.
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13
Scatter the scallions, turnips and tomatoes around the lamb and season with salt and pepper.
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14
Squeeze the juice of the remaining 2 lemons over the lamb and drizzle with the olive oil.
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15
Loosely cover with foil.
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16
Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and roast the lamb 1 hour.
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17
Uncover and continue roasting until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 145 degrees F for medium, 30 to 45 more minutes.
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18
Let rest 15 minutes, then slice.
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19
Serve with the vegetables and pan juices.
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20
Photograph by Jonny Valiant
