Kleftiko – Slow-Roasted Lamb with Potatoes (Κλέφτικο)
Kleftiko – Slow-Roasted Lamb with Potatoes (Κλέφτικο)
This dish is rustic, fragrant, and cooked low and slow until the lamb falls off the bone. It’s one of those recipes that doesn’t ask for much, other than time. Every Cypriot family has their own take, but the principle is the same: wrap everything up and let the oven do the work. You’ve got tender lamb, rich with garlic, oregano and thyme, with patates that soak up every bit of the flavour. Kleftiko gets its name from the kleftes (thieves) of the mountains, who would steal lamb or goat and cook it slowly in sealed, underground ovens to avoid detection from the smoke. Traditionally made in a sealed clay pot, this version uses a baking dish wrapped tightly with baking paper and foil for the same slow-roasted effect at home. It’s fragrant, no-fuss, and made to feed a crowd.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat your oven to 150°C (fan forced).
- Line a large baking dish (sini) with two overlapping sheets of baking paper, long enough to cover and fold over the top of the lamb and potatoes later.
- Add the lamb, potatoes, onions, garlic, herbs, cinnamon, olive oil and whisky into the dish. Season generously with salt and pepper and toss to coat everything well.
- Pour the water into one of the gaps at the side of the dish. Fold the baking paper tightly over the top to seal, then cover the dish firmly with foil.
- Bake for 4 hours, undisturbed.
- Carefully uncover and check that the meat is fall-apart tender. If you’d like more colour, return the dish to the oven uncovered for another 15 to 20 minutes.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve with a simple salad, lemon wedges and a side of pourkouri (Cypriot bulgur pilaf).
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