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Ingredients
Chef Dimitrios Tsionas is the Head Chef at Dublin's Hilton Hotel, Kilmainham, where he brings his signature Mediterranean flair and a passion for seasonal, locally sourced ingredients to the fore. Originally from Thessaloniki, Greece, Dimitrios has honed his culinary craft across top hospitality venues in both Ireland and Greece, including The Westin Dublin and The K Club.
Lamb Kleftiko
Serves: 6
Time: 30 mins to prepare, 5 hours in total
- 1 lamb shoulder
- 1 kg baby potatoes, cut into wedges
- 150g red onion
- 100g English mustard
- 200g peppers
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 100ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 bay leaves
- A few sprigs rosemary
- A few sprigs of thyme or oregano
To serve:
- 250g feta cheese
- 1 lemon
- Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle (optional)
Method
- Preheat oven to 160C/140C fan.
- Season the meat well with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Dice the onions and peppers in medium size pieces and cut the baby potatoes into wedges. Place into a large bowl then add the minced garlic and mustard. Drizzle over the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss everything together well to combine.
- Line a large baking tray by laying 2 long pieces of baking parchment on top of 2 long pieces of foil – one widthways, the other lengthways to form a cross.
- Tumble the seasoned vegetables into the tray and follow with the bay leaves, rosemary and thyme or oregano.
- Set the lamb on top of the veg and scrunch the foil together tightly to completely enclose the lamb. Lift into a roasting tin and roast in the oven for 4½ - 5 hrs until very tender.
- Remove the tin from the oven and increase the temperature to 220C/200C fan. Unwrap the parcel and scrunch the foil and parchment under the rim of the tin, baste the lamb with the juices and return to the oven for a further 20 mins until browned. Remove the lamb from the tin, wrap in foil and rest.
- Turn the potatoes over and return to the oven for 30 mins, then season with salt.
- To finish, crumble over the feta, drizzle over some olive oil and squeeze over the juice of ½ a lemon, cutting the rest into wedges to serve alongside then serve hot on plates.
