Kleftiko (greek) - slow cooked lamb

After my yummy yummy dinner tonight I thought I would share this recipe....

(this is a Rick Stein recipe - so not an authentic greek one - but its pretty darn close to the real thing that I used to eat when we lived in Cyprus!!)

1.5kg shoulder of lamb cut into chunks through the bone (or I used neck chops or shanks)

1kg - potatoes (pref waxy ones), peeled and cut into quarters

1 large head of garlic, outside papery skins removed and cut in half through the middle

1 tablespoon dried oregano

3-6 bayleaves

2 tablespoons of fresh oregano and / or marjoram leaves (I use one of each)

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, plus a little extra for drizzling

Juice of 2 large lemons

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

100ml water

Preheat oven to 190. Combine meat, potatoes and garlic into a large ovenproof caserole dish. Spinkle with the dried and fresh herbs, olive oil, lemon juice, 100ml water, 2 teaspoons of salt and plently of black pepper - mix together well and nestle the meat down into the potatoes. Drizzle with a little more oil.

Cover the dish with tinfoil and then fit lid on tightly. Bake for at least 3 hours, until the meat is falling off the bone. Check it mid way through the cooking to make sure its not too dry - add a little more water if needed.

Pretty simple - and really tasty!

(Tip - when you are checking it, dont be tempted to give it a good stir...as it will break up the spuds and they end up too mushy!)