Kleftiko

Kleftiko

Cypriot slow roast lamb, one pot, 3 hr, serves 6-8

Ingredients

Lamb
lamb shoulder    2.5kg, bone in
garlic           1 bulb, halved

Marinade
olive oil        4 tbsp
lemon            1, juice and zest
dried oregano    1 tbsp
ground cinnamon  1 tsp
dijon mustard    1 tbsp
salt and pepper  to season

In the pot
potatoes         2kg
onions           2, in wedges
tomatoes         2, quartered
halloumi         1 block, thick slices
bay leaves       3
white wine       250ml

To finish
lemon            1/2, to squeeze
dried mint       to scatter

Bone in stays juiciest. Boneless is easier to carve but cooks faster and can dry, so check it earlier.
Swap the wine for chicken or veg stock, or water. A squeeze of lemon with the stock adds the acidity the wine gives.
Doubling up? Use a bigger tin, give it longer, and go by feel. A probe reads about 90 to 95°C when it is ready to pull.

Recipe

1. Peel and chunk the potatoes and keep them in a bowl of water. Easy to do ahead.

The water stops them browning, so you can do this hours before.

2. Mix the marinade and rub it all over the lamb. Chill overnight if you can.

Overnight makes a real difference, but you can cook it straight away.

3. Heat the oven to 160°C. Drain the potatoes and add them to the Le Creuset with the onions, tomatoes, bay and the halved garlic. Sit the lamb on top and pour in the wine with any leftover marinade.

Veg on the bottom, lamb on top and above the liquid, not submerged. It should steam, not sit in it.

4. Lid on. Roast until the lamb is nearly falling apart, about 3 hours for bone in or 2.5 for boneless.

Done when a fork twists and it pulls apart easily. Still firm, give it longer.

5. Tuck the halloumi around the lamb, lid back on, and give it 20 minutes more.

Adding it late keeps its salty flavour. In from the start and it washes out into the juices.

6. Lid off, turn up to 220°C, and roast 15 minutes to brown the top and colour the halloumi.

This is just for colour, the lamb is already cooked.

7. Rest 15 minutes. Squeeze over the lemon and scatter with dried mint. Serve from the pot with the juices spooned over and a Greek salad on the side.

Sources: Georgina Hayden, My Greek Dish.