Lamb Kleftiko is a dish that looks impressive, and your family (or guests) will think you slaved away in the kitchen making it! But we have a secret for you–it’s an incredibly simple dish to make, one that takes very little time to prepare. Lamb Kleftiko is a classic, traditional rustic Greek dish, steeped in history. The lamb is slow-cooked with lots of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic, onion and herbs, giving a true taste of the Mediterranean!  

Lamb Kleftiko is a dish that comes from a time during the Greek revolution when bands of freedom fighters hid in the mountains. During the night they would steal a lamb or goat from the fields in order to survive. The word Klephti (think kleptomaniac!) means “someone who steals” or “thief” in Greek, which is how this dish got its name.

The klephts would place the meat in a clay pot and then put the pot in a hole in the ground. They would add hot stones and branches to the hole and cook the meat for many hours. Sealing the hole with dirt prevented any steam or smoke from escaping, and prevented their enemies from detecting them. After going out on missions during the day, the klephts would return at night to a cooked meal. You can think of their process as a kind of predecessor of the modern-day slow cooker! 

Preparing the Lamb Kleftiko

The premise behind Lamb Kleftiko is to tightly seal the meat in a container so no steam escapes. Well, we aren’t going to dig a hole in the backyard and bury a clay pot, so we will improvise and use the method most people use these days–parchment paper. 

Let’s look at the ingredients list:

• Lamb shanks
• New potatoes (baby potatoes)
• Red peppers 
• Red onions 
• Feta cheese
• Garlic cloves
• Olive oil
• Lemons 
• Oregano
• Rosemary
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parchment paper and kitchen string

Begin by preparing the vegetables: slice the potatoes in half (no need to peel), cut the onions in half and then again into four wedges. Remove the tops from the red peppers and discard the seeds. Cut the peppers into ½ inch slices. The red peppers give the dish such a bright color.  Add all the vegetables to a bowl and top with the feta cheese. Set aside. 

Now it’s time to make the marinade,  Add the olive oil to a small bowl. Please be sure you are using a good quality olive oil. If it’s too cheap in price, it’s probably not a quality oil. It really does make a difference in cooking and taste. Next, add the juice of one lemon. To the olive oil, mixture add the oregano and the rosemary, whisking until combined. Pour the marinade over the vegetables and toss gently with your hands. The vegetables will soak up all the wonderful aromas and liquids from the lamb. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  

Wrapping the Lamb Keftiko

This may seem like the tricky part, but after doing one shank, you’ll quickly get the hang of it.  Lay 2 sheets of parchment paper in a criss-cross pattern (forming a star shape) You will need to do this four times, once for each lamb shank.  Place one lamb shank in the middle, where the 2 sheets intersect. Place some of the vegetable mixture around each lamb shank. Drizzle each lamb shank with the remaining olive oil, a sprinkle of oregano, salt and pepper. Bring the sides of the parchment paper to the middle, twist and tie with the kitchen string. It is important to use 100% cotton string when cooking, as anything synthetic may melt into your food. Tightly wrapping the lamb in the parchment paper and baking slowly ensures the meat will be fall-off- the bone tender. 

Time to Bake

Place each bundle of lamb on a baking sheet. Once the baking sheet goes in the oven, roast the lamb for 2 hours, until tender. Remove the bundles from the oven, cut the string and carefully open each lamb bundle. Using a spoon, baste the lamb with the juices from the bundle. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees and place the baking sheet back in the oven to roast for 10 minutes, with bundles open.  Lamb and potatoes should be nicely browned. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and place the contents of each bundle in a serving bowl. Serve immediately.

While it may not be cooking in a clay pot buried in your backyard, it’s hard to get more traditional than Lamb Kleftiko. The process and taste will be the same, and you’ll soon understand how this simple dish kept the freedom fighters going day in and day out! Enjoy this little taste of history! 

More Lamb Recipes

• Roasted Leg of Lamb in Red Sauce
• Grilled Greek Lamb Chops
• Lamb Meatball Quinoa Bowl
• Grecian Lamb Tacos

We hope you enjoy this recipe for Lamb Kleftiko!  If you make this dish, we’d love to hear from you! Leave us a rating or comment below. And be sure to share it on Instagram with the tag #hearthealthygreek.