When people think about Greek food one of the first dishes that springs to mind is Greek lamb and potatoes.

This is an easy dish to prepare and is always a crowd favourite especially when entertaining a large group or for a family gathering.

There is nothing better than going to a Greek friends house on a special occasion when they have the lamb on the spit roasting all day over the coals. The flavour and tenderness of the meat is unforgettable!

You can also come across this in some tavernas in Greece although the reality is meat is quite expensive there and locals generally only do this on special occassion such as religious festivals and feast days. The ones you come across are really there for tourists pleasure but you wont find anyone complaining!

That said, the average person does not have a spit roast in their back yard so how do you replicate this dish and have the delicious lemon potatoes that go so well with it too?

If you have an oven you’re halfway there. With a few ingredients and a lot of time and patience, you can easily make Greek lamb and potatoes in your home. Pop it on at lunchtime and by dinner time you’re good to go!

Serve with Greek Salad and good red wine or Greek beer.

Greek lamb and potatoes recipe

serves 6-8

Slow cooked lamb and lemon potatoes

Name: Slow cooked lamb and lemon potatoes
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 7 h
Total time: 7 h 30 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 x 3.4kg/7lb leg of lamb; 4 fresh garlic cloves; 1 large lemon; dried oregano; 1 cup chicken stock; 4 large potatoes or 6 medium ones; olive oil

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 7 hours

Total Time: 7 hours 30 minutes

This dish is synonymous with Greece especially at Easter when each family cooks it to break the fast after Lent. On that occasion, however, a whole lamb is cooked on an outdoor spit. In Greece, this may be the only time lamb is eaten during the year due to its cost, which in many areas makes it a special occasion meal.

It's really a very simple dish to make. The key is time.

Ingredients

1 x 3.4kg/7lb leg of lamb
4 fresh garlic cloves
1 large lemon
dried oregano
1 cup chicken stock
4 large potatoes or 6 medium ones
olive oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees
Cut garlic into slivers
Cut slits in the lamb and insert the garlic
Squeeze half the lemon juice and half the chicken stock over the lamb
Drizzle with olive oil - around 1/4 a cup
Sprinkle liberally with oregano, salt, and pepper
Cover tightly with foil or apply lid to a dutch oven and cook in the oven for 6-7 hours still on 150
Peel the potatoes and cut into wedges
After around 5 hours place the potatoes under the lamb and add the remaining lemon and chicken stock
Recover and cook for a further hour or to taste

Notes

Whilst I've used a leg of lamb in this recipe my family generally prefers shoulder which has more fat and doesn't tend to dry out as leg can. Ask your butcher to debone it for you and stuff the cavity with garlic and the lemon leftovers.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1592Total Fat: 90gSaturated Fat: 37gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 45gCholesterol: 493mgSodium: 427mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 5gSugar: 3gProtein: 142g