I was recently given a 5 lb bone-in leg of lamb.
Pro: Bone-in tastes better, easier to control cooking time because it cooks slower.
Con: takes much longer to cook, needs a bigger pan, doesn’t come with a net, harder to carve.
Why do we French the bone? Just for presentation.
What the heck is Frenching the bone? Cutting away some meat to leave the bone completely exposed.
Speaking of cutting away, the fell (thin and very tough outer layer of fat) needs to be trimmed if your butcher hasn’t done so.
If you’re good with a knife (even if you’re not), trim some of the fat, and just leave 1/4″ layer. You can freeze and save the trimmed fat for later use (render the fat but cutting into 1″ cubes, placing it with water in a slow cooker on low for 8 hours, or until the fat looks clear. Use that instead of oil/butter when shallow frying potatoes or searing steaks). Trimming the fat also reduces the gaminess and usually makes the flavour more mild.