Greek Lamb Kleftiko
This classic Greek dish of slow cooked lamb and potatoes marinated with herbs and spices is simple cooking at its best. No fancy cooking skills are required – you just need patience to let the ingredients work their magic.
Ingredients
Serves 8
1.3kg bone-in whole lamb leg joint
1kg baby waxy potatoes, washed and halved or quartered
1 red onion, peeled and sliced
5 fresh bay leaves
For the marinade:
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped or crushed
Grated zest of 1 lemon, juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons rapeseed or olive oil
Method
- In a small bowl, mix the marinade ingredients together.
- On a chopping board make several slashes all over the lamb with a sharp knife. Rub the paste all over the lamb, pushing deep into the holes. Transfer to a large food bag, add the lemon juice, toss, seal and marinate in the fridge for up to 2 hours, or overnight if time allows.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C, 140°C Fan, Gas Mark 3.
- Line a large roasting tin with foil then baking parchment. Scatter the potatoes over the roasting tin. Season the potatoes, add the sliced onion and the bay leaves.
- Position the joint on top of the potatoes. Wrap in the parchment and extra foil. Roast for 4 hours until tender.
- Remove the joint from the oven, increase the heat to 220°C, 200°C Fan, Gas Mark 7. Unwrap the foil and parchment, spoon any meat juices over the joint and continue to cook for a further 30 minutes.
- Remove the roasting tin from the oven, wrap in foil and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
- Slice the lamb and serve with a Greek salad.
Recipe courtesy of Simply Beef & Lamb
Simplybeefandlamb.co.uk
