Greek lamb kleftiko with potatoes
200 min · 64 g protein · 639 cals / serving
The Greek 'stolen' lamb, sealed in a paper parcel with potatoes, peppers, onions, tomatoes, a whole head of garlic, lemon and oregano and cooked low until the meat is spoon-tender and the potatoes drink up the lemony juices. Opened at the end to brown, with feta crumbled over. A weekend roast that is better reheated.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 lb lamb roast, raw, boneless leg of lamb, outer fat trimmed, in 4 large pieces
- 1 whole head garlic, cloves peeled, half crushed, half left whole
- 1/4 cup lemon juice, about 2 lemons, plus the zest of one
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 lb gold potatoes, waxy or all-rounder, peeled, in large chunks
- 2 large onions, in thick wedges
- 1 red bell pepper, in thick strips
- 1 green bell pepper, in thick strips
- 1 yellow yellow bell pepper, in thick strips
- 3 medium tomatoes, in wedges
- 2 bay leaves bay leaf
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1/2 cup water
- 2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Steps
- Rub the lamb all over with the crushed garlic, lemon juice and zest, olive oil, oregano, cinnamon, salt and pepper. If you have time, leave it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
- Heat the oven to 325°F. Lay two long overlapping sheets of baking paper over a sheet of foil in a deep roasting tin. Pile the potatoes, onion, peppers, tomato, whole garlic cloves, bay and rosemary in the middle, set the lamb on top with any marinade, and pour the water around.
- Bring the paper up over the top and fold and scrunch it to seal, then seal the foil over it. Cook 2 1/2 hours, until the lamb is tender enough to pull apart with a fork; leg is lean, so check it then rather than leaving it longer.
- Turn the oven up to 400°F. Open the parcel (watch the steam) and return it uncovered for 15–20 minutes, until the potatoes and lamb edges start to brown. Crumble the feta over and give it 10 minutes more.
- Serve the lamb and potatoes with the juices spooned over. Leftovers keep 4 days in the fridge; reheat covered until piping hot.
Good to know
Can I use lamb shoulder?
Yes, boneless shoulder (1 kg raw, 700 g once cooked) is the juicier, fattier choice and forgives a longer cook; give it the full 3 hours. It comes to about 48 instead of 69.
What goes with it?
A big Greek salad of tomato, cucumber and red onion, or simply some lemony greens. Bread to mop up the juices if you like.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 87
- Protein
- (41%)
- 9 g
- Fat
- (24%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (36%)
- 8 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 184 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 2557 kcal goes into the pot and 3418 g of ingredients comes out as about 2950 g of food: 87 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.