Lamb kleftiko
By: John Torode
Ingredients
- drizzle Olive oil
- 1 Lamb shoulder, about 1.5kg, bone in, cut into fist-sized pieces
- 1 Lemon, cut into wedges
- sea salt, to taste
- 1 tsp dried Oregano, (or fresh if available)
- 1 pinch Cinnamon
- 1 Bay leaves
- 4 large Potatoes, cut into four
- 2-3 cherry tomatoes, (optional)
Method
1. Kleftiko is traditionally made in a sealed earthenware dish, but a casserole dish covered in aluminium foil will do the trick (alternatively you can make individual parcels of the meat with a layer of baking parchment and aluminium foil).2. Preheat the oven to 150C/gas 2. Cut a piece of aluminium foil to about a metre in length. Lay the paper in a casserole dish with one half covering the base of the dish and the other hanging over the edge.
3. Rub the lamb all over with the lemon wedges and put the lamb and lemon wedges into the dish. Sprinkle with salt, freshly ground black pepper, oregano and cinnamon, and add a bay leaf and the potato wedges - you can also add a few cherry tomatoes for colour.
4. Mix together all the ingredients, fold over the second half of the paper to cover the meat and transfer to the oven. Roast for 2-3 hours, or until the meat falls off the bone. Rest the meat for at least ten minutes in a warm place and serve.
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Latest Comment
View all comments (7)Tried this recipe for the first time - excellent - I used lamb shanks and it worked well
I cooked this for the first time and it was like the Kleftico that we had in Santorini and Lesbos. Absolutely fantastic.
Re-'How do you get fist size pieces with the bone in?' I think they mean weigh the meat with the bone in
If cooking in casserole with foil, cover bottom also with greaseproof as potatoes stick to foil. Potatoes cooked this way are fabulous, cram as many on the bottom as you can!
alternatively, use lamb shank which is delicious cooked this way - the greeks add other root vetetables too - such as carrot
perhaps u could ask yr butcher to do it! all it takes is a little thought
does anyone know how you cut a shoulder into fist size pieces whilst the bone is still in?