Slow Cooked Greek Lamb Recipes

GREEK SLOW ROASTED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 240°C/465°F (220°C fan). (Note 2)
• Use a small knife to make around 25 incisions all over the lamb, with most on the top.
• Cut around 6 cloves into slivers and stuff them into the incisions.
• Sprinkle the lamb generously all over with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Drizzle with olive oil and rub all over the lamb.
• Place the lamb in a roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes or until it has a nice brown crust.
• Remove from the oven. Turn the oven down to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
• Turn the lamb upside down. Pour / place all the remaining ingredients in the pan around the lamb (including remaining garlic cloves). Fill the roasting pan with hot water so it comes up about 1/4 - 1/3 of the way up the height of the lamb.
• Cover with lid or with baking/parchment paper then 2 layers of foil. Bake for 3.5 hours. (Note 3) Top up water if it dries out (e.g. Might happen if your lid is loose)
• Remove the roast from the oven and remove the lid/foil. Turn the lamb over so it is the right side up.
• Cover again and roast for a further 2 1/2 hours, or until you can pull meat apart with forks.
• Remove cover and roast for a further 20 - 30 minutes (to brown). (Note 3)
• Remove from the oven and transfer lamb to serving platter. Cover loosely with foil and rest for 30 - 40 minutes.
• Strain liquid into a clear jug. The fat will rise to the top. Scoop/pour most of it off - I get 3/4 - 1 cup. There should be 2 - 3 cups of Sauce left. Adjust salt, pepper and lemon to taste.
• Serve lamb with the Sauce on the side and Truly Crunchy Roast Potatoes (heat oil while lamb is in the oven, then cook potatoes when the lamb is resting).

SLOW-COOKED GREEK LAMB

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and sit a shelf as low as possible. Pierce the lamb all over with a small knife, then fill each slit with a garlic clove and half an anchovy fillet. Rub all over with the oil, then season.
• Heat a flameproof casserole dish and sear the lamb all over until well browned. Take off the heat, remove the lamb from the dish and tip in the tomatoes, carrots, sage and rosemary. Sit the lamb on top and scatter over the thyme.
• Cover the dish, slip it onto the bottom shelf of the oven and cook for 4-5 hrs until pull-apart tender. Carefully lift the lamb from the dish, discard the herbs and roughly squash the tomatoes into the juices. Sit the lamb back in the dish and serve in big shredded chunks with tzatziki, chickpea salad and flatbreads for mopping up the juices.

SLOW-COOKED GREEK LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F.
• Set the lamb leg in a large roasting pan, and season it well with sea salt and black pepper. Sprinkle the meat with the oregano and pour the lemon juice and wine over top. Drizzle the lamb with the olive oil and roast until the exterior is browned, about 20 minutes.
• Add the water to the bottom of the pan and cover the lamb loosely with foil. Reduce the oven temperature to 315 degrees F, and roast the lamb for another 1 1/2 hours.
• At this point, arrange the potato chunks and lemon quarters around the lamb and return the pan to the oven for another 2 hours, turning the potatoes at least once and basting the lamb with the pan juices. The lamb should be very tender. Remove the meat from the pan and set it aside to rest before slicing.
• Increase the oven's heat to 425 degrees F.
• Add the olives to the potatoes and return the pan to the oven until the potatoes are golden, about 20 minutes. Serve the vegetables with the lamb and with some pan juices spooned over the top.

SLOW ROASTED GREEK LAMB

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF.
• Place the peeled potatoes, onions and lemon peel in a large, oven-proof pot/casserole and season with salt, pepper, oregano and olive oil. Add rosemary and garlic.
• Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons olive oil over the lamb and season generously with salt, pepper and oregano. Place the lamb over the potatoes then pour in the stock and wine.
• Cover with a lid and place in the oven. Allow to roast for 30 minutes then turn the heat down to 160ºC/320ºF for 3-4 hours until the lamb is tender.
• Remove the lid and turn the heat back up to 200ºC/400ºF and allow the lamb to roast until golden brown (approximately 1 hour). At this point you can remove the lamb and cover with foil to rest for at least 10 minutes, ideally up to 30 minutes. Pour the stock into a jug and place the potatoes back in the oven to roast until golden brown and crisp.
• Slice/shred the lamb once rested and serve with the potatoes and gravy.

GREEK LAMB STEW

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Season the lamb with salt and pepper, add to the pot, and cook until deeply browned, about 5 minutes on each side. Stir in the onions and garlic, and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
• Pour the wine into the pot, and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, lamb stock, lemon zest and juice, oregano, cinnamon, and bay leaf. Bring back to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lamb is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Stir in the green beans and cook until they are tender, about 20 additional minutes.
• Remove the bay leaf and any bones from the stew. Garnish stew with chopped fresh parsley.

SLOW-COOKED GREEK EASTER LAMB WITH LEMONS, OLIVES & BAY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Arrange the unpeeled garlic cloves, 3 bay leaves and the lemon quarters in a large roasting dish and cover with 200ml cold water. Sit the lamb on top, drizzle with the olive oil and rub it in all over.
• Using a small sharp knife, cut small incisions in the lamb skin, then tuck the remaining peeled and sliced garlic and bay leaves into these slits.
• Season the lamb well and sprinkle over the cinnamon. Cover tightly with foil and place in the oven. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Leave to cook for 4 hrs, skimming the fat from the juices and removing the foil for the final 30 mins of cooking.
• After 1 hr, put the potato wedges in a large roasting tin, coat them in 4 tbsp olive oil and season well. Roast in the oven with the lamb for 11/2-2 hrs.
• Transfer the cooked lamb to a large piece of foil, wrap tightly and leave to rest for 20-30 mins. Check the potatoes are cooked (if you need to, turn the oven up to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 to finish cooking). Add the olives and wine to the pan juices, simmer them and keep warm until ready to carve. Serve the lamb thickly sliced with the olives, potatoes and Tahini & lemon sauce (see 'goes well with'), with the meat juices poured over at the last minute.