🍖 Lamb Kleftiko
Kleftiko is Greek lamb slow-cooked in a sealed parcel or covered dish with garlic, lemon juice, oregano and potatoes until the meat falls from the bone. The potatoes soak up the lemony, herby juices. It is served straight from the parcel, often as a Sunday or festive meal.
Diets
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens in a typical recipe.
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg lamb shoulder or leg on the bone, in large pieces
- 800 g potatoes, cut into chunks
- 6 garlic cloves, sliced
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Rub the lamb with garlic, lemon juice, oregano, oil, salt and pepper and leave 1 hour or overnight.
- Put the lamb and potatoes in a dish, wrap tightly in baking paper and foil or cover with a lid.
- Bake at 160 °C for about 3 hours until the meat falls apart.
- Open the parcel and roast 15 minutes at 200 °C to colour the top.
How to make it lighter
- Trim visible fat from the lamb before marinating.
- Skim the fat from the juices before spooning them over.
- Make vegetables half the plate: a 150 g piece of meat with potatoes and a large salad is a filling portion.
History
Kleftiko is usually linked to the klephts, Greek mountain bandits of the Ottoman era; the story goes that they cooked stolen lamb in sealed pits so no smoke would give them away. Today it is a taverna favourite in Greece and Cyprus.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →