If you are looking for ideas for a mouth-watering Sunday roast, try my Easter Lamb Kleftiko. This is a great recipe! I usually make it for our Easter dinners because it is not overly complicated, and does not require too much attention. The lamb cooks to perfection in the meat juices inside the earthware pot, you do not have to check on it, and the meat has beautiful flavours. This roast is a winner!

HISTORY OF LAMB KLEFTIKO.

Kleftiko is a Greek dish. It originated with the Greek Klephts, who were revolutionaries against the Ottoman occupation of Greece from the 15th century through the 19th century.

The etymology of the name Kleftiko comes from the word klephto (which means stolen), and oftos is an ancient Greek word for baked and refers to the Klephts, who were known for stealing lambs from the villages and roasting them in underground pits.

This recipe for roasted lamb I usually make for Easter, and that is why I call it my Easter Kleftiko. Back home in Bulgaria, it is a tradition to serve roasted lamb on Easter Sunday, and this recipe always reminds me of the roasted lamb my granny used to make. She was from the south of Bulgaria, where the Bulgarian culinary traditions intermingle with Greek and Turkish due to the large Greek and Turkish communities in this area.

Living away from my Bulgarian family, my husband and I still celebrate Orthodox Easter by cooking roasted lamb and decorating Easter eggs. To learn more about the Balkan Easter traditions, visit my post How to decorate Easter eggs. You can view more Easter recipes at the bottom of this post.

More ROASTED LAMB recipes:

• Lamb Kleftiko in Parchment Wrap
• St george’s day lamb roast

HOW TO MAKE MY EASTER LAMB KLEFTIKO?

📋 INGREDIENTS IN THIS RECIPE

Meat: For this roast, it’s best to use a lamb shoulder. You can also use the leg of lamb as long as it fits into your earthware dish.

Marinade: The marinade is very simple, prepared with traditional Greek flavours – lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano.

Roasting Dish: If possible, cook the lamb in a large shallow earthware dish with a lid. The clay imparts beautiful earthy flavours and roasting the meat with the lid on will ensure the flavours are locked inside. If you do not have a lid for your roasting dish, cover the dish with thick kitchen foil.

Water: We do not use stock with this recipe and very little water is added because the lamb must cook in its own juices.

📖 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

This recipe is very straightforward and not difficult to prepare if you follow the steps below:

Step 1: Prepare the meat for roasting

Trim the fat from the lamb because we do not want the dish to be too oily. Make a few cuts into the lamb and push thinly sliced garlic cloves inside. The garlic flavours can be overpowering, use no more than 2-3 large garlic cloves, and cut them into 10-12 slices.

Step 2: Make the marinade for the lamb

Make the marinade by combining olive oil, salt, oregano, black pepper and lemon juice in a bowl.

Massage the marinade into the meat thoroughly, then cover the marinated lamb with plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge overnight or at least for a few hours to rest and absorb the flavours.

Step 3: Roast the Kleftiko in a clay dish

Take the marinated lamb out of the fridge an hour before cooking to allow it to get to room temperature. Then, transfer it to a large earthware dish. Pour a little water and place the lid on. If you do not have a lid, use thick cooking foil to cover the lamb in your earthware roasting dish.

Preheat the oven to a high temperature (200-220°C). Place the lamb in the lower part of the oven an reduce the temperature to 180°C /356° F for standard ovens, or 160°C/320°F for fan ovens. You can also check the cooking instructions on the packaging and follow them if you prefer.

After 1.5 hours of roasting the meat, remove the lid. Pour some of the juices in the bottom of your roasting dish over the meat and return to the oven to caramelise for 30 minutes. If you see the meat juices getting too thick, add a little water. Take the lamb out of the oven and let it rest for at least 20 minutes.

🍲 SERVE MY EASTER LAMB KLEFTIKO

For authentic Greek flavours, serve lamb Kleftiko with roasted vegetables, grilled vegetable salad or a fresh Greek salad. There will be enough meat juices left in the roasting dish to make a wonderful gravy as well. Stuffing and boiled vegetables can complement this roasted lamb well.

Bon Appétit! 👨‍🍳👨‍🍳👨‍🍳