This is a classic Greek dish that is a great one for weekends or weeknights when you’re home early. It falls into the category of “set it and forget it” and for this I’m grateful! I do love making big meals featuring lamb, but they can be hard to do because sometimes it’s all so involved. With this recipe for Classic Lamb Kleftiko, however, you have a little more freedom to do what you want while the lamb cooks.
The premise of this dish is that lamb is slow cooked in a parchment bag with vegetables until it is soft and tender. I typically use a boneless leg of lamb for this because it falls apart so nicely once it is cooked. I cook this with onion, peppers, and potatoes and lots of seasonings. The vegetables need to be cut into even sizes so they can cook evenly while they’re in the oven together. You don’t want to cut them too small or they’ll be charred and shriveled before the lamb is cooked to your liking.
This meal should be served right from the bag. Many people split open the bag with scissors and let the lamb cool until it’s comfortable enough to eat. Then, each serving it scooped, with some of the juices, onto plates. You can easily make multiple bags in the oven if you’re having lots of people over! To round this out I do like to serve a green salad on the side. Something cool and crispy really pairs nicely with the stewed lamb and vegetables, I think.
Lamb, as you know, is a very popular dish in Greece and there are many ways to make it! If you search “lamb” in the recipe search box here you’ll see that there are a few more great recipes for cooking lamb if you’re searching for some. Enjoy!
Classic Lamb Kleftiko
This is a traditional Greek meal of lamb slow cooked with vegetables in the oven. It is also a great one because it’s really easy to prepare!
Ingredients:
For the Lamb Filling:
3 lb boneless leg of lamb
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp minced fresh garlic
1tbs dried oregano
2 peppers (1 red and 1 yellow)
1 onion
6 potatoes
6 pieces of kefalograviera chopped
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 oven bag
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Prepare lamb by tossing it with the olive oil, juice from one lemon, garlic, and oregano.
Cut up the peppers, onions, and potatoes into wedges.
Place the lamb in the bag and surround it with the potatoes and peppers, then add in the salt and pepper.
Bake for 2 hours, or until golden brown and crispy.
Serve warm and enjoy!
Nikki Glekas is the owner of Nikki Glekas Events, a full-service catering and events company located in Stamford, CT.. To discuss further please contact team@nikkiglekascollective.com or call 203.658.8659.