Lamb Kleftiko

Lamb Kleftiko is a classic, traditional Greek recipe in which the lamb is marinated in olive oil, garlic, onion and lemon and then is slowly cooked in a pouch of greaseproof paper in order to keep all the taste from its liquid.

Traditionally, it seems that Lamb Kleftiko follows an established practice in which the stolen meat was buried them underground in order to get rid of the smell and the smoke so as not to create suspicions.

Lamb Kleftiko seems to have taken its name by the thieves who lived in the mountains, stole animals and cooked them by hiding them in the ground in improvised ovens with a lit fire on the surface.

The recipe can be made with a leg of lamb which is extremely tender when cooked, or in large pieces with or without the bone. Even though many recipes cook the lamb and the potatoes separately they can also be cooked together in order to soak up the wonderful aromas and liquids from the lamb.