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Kleftiko

Name: Kleftiko
Total time: 210 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Greece
Ingredients: 1kg Bone-In Lamb (large pieces); 4 Potato; 1 Lemon; 6 cloves Garlic; 1 tbsp Oregano; 4 tbsp Olive oil; 100g Feta Cheese; To taste Salt; To taste Pepper

Main Dish

⏱ 210 min

👥 Serves 4

Difficulty ⭐⭐

Lamb sealed with herbs and slow-baked — a traditional Greek dish with outlaw roots.

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📖 The Story Behind This Dish

Kleftiko means 'stolen meat.' It's said to come from the klephts, Greek rebels who hid in the mountains during Ottoman rule and cooked meat sealed in pits in the ground so no smoke would give them away. Today the lamb is wrapped in paper or a covered pot with lemon, garlic, and oregano and cooked slowly in the oven until meltingly tender.

🌆 Where it's eaten: In a Greek island home, kleftiko goes into the oven on Sunday morning and its aroma fills the house before lunch.

🥕 Ingredients (serves 4)

Bone-In Lamb (large pieces) 1kg
Potato 4
Lemon 1
Garlic 6 cloves
Oregano 1 tbsp
Olive oil 4 tbsp
Feta Cheese 100g
Salt To taste
Pepper To taste

👩‍🍳 Instructions

Rub the lamb with salt, pepper, grated garlic, oregano, lemon juice, and olive oil.
Place the potatoes and lamb in parchment, foil, or a lidded clay pot.
Seal tightly and bake at 160°C for at least 3 hours.
Crumble feta over the top and bake 10 minutes more.
Open the parcel, pull the meat apart, and serve.

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