059Lemon roast lamb

Method

Sunday tray-bake with oregano potatoes. Allow the lamb to rest for 10 minutes before carving; spoon the lemony pan juices over the carved slices and potatoes.

You will need

• large roasting tin
• sharp paring knife
• aluminium foil

1. Preheat a conventional oven to 180°C (350°F) and use a sharp knife to pierce small slits all over the lamb. 10 min · 180°C / 350°F Ready when: oven is heated
2. Push the garlic slivers firmly into the slits, then rub the lamb with half of the salt, black pepper, and half of the dried oregano. 5 min Ready when: lamb is evenly seasoned and studded with garlic
3. Toss the potato wedges in a large roasting tin with the remaining salt, pepper, oregano, olive oil, and lemon juice until well coated, then pour the water into the bottom of the tin. 5 min Ready when: potatoes are distributed in a single layer
4. Nestle the seasoned lamb in the centre of the tin among the potatoes, cover the entire tin tightly with aluminium foil, and transfer to the oven. 5 min Ready when: tin is sealed tight with foil
5. Bake in the conventional oven at 180°C (350°F) for 1 hour and 30 minutes until the meat is tender and the potatoes have softened. 90 min · 180°C / 350°F Ready when: potatoes yield when pierced with a fork
6. Remove the foil, baste the lamb and potatoes with the pan pan-juices, increase the heat to 200°C (400°F), and roast uncovered for 30 minutes until the lamb is deeply golden and the potatoes are crisp at the edges. 30 min · 200°C / 400°F Ready when: meat is browned and crisp-edged

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Make ahead and storing

Store in the fridge for up to 3 days; reheat in a hot oven to crisp the potatoes again.

Substitutions

• bone-in leg of lamb or kid goat for lamb shoulder or leg, bone-in. Leg is leaner, but shoulder yields a richer pan sauce.
• fresh rosemary or dried thyme for dried oregano. Rosemary is also common in Ionian versions of roast lamb.

Common mistakes

• Adding too much water to the pan.. Excess water will boil the potatoes instead of allowing them to roast in the rendered olive oil and lamb fat.
• Leaving the tin uncovered the entire cooking time.. The lamb will dry out on top before the tough muscle fibres become tender and before the potatoes cook through.

Regional variants

• In the Ionian islands, a splash of white wine and fresh rosemary needles are often added alongside the lemon.
• Some island cooks add a teaspoon of mild mustard to the lemon-oil emulsion.

About the dish

Lemon roast lamb with potatoes is perhaps the definitive Greek Sunday family meal. Traditionally carried down to the local communal baker's oven (fournos) in a massive sheet-metal pan on Sunday mornings after church, this dish cooks slowly until the lamb fat melts into the potatoes, which turn tender inside and crisp at the edges. Lemon juice and wild oregano cut through the unctuous lamb fat, creating a pan sauce that is savoured with plenty of crusty bread.

Found in all of Greece. Cooked for sunday lunch, easter, everyday.

Cousins elsewhere

• Arni lemonato sto fourno (Cypriot). Cypriot versions frequently add a pinch of crushed coriander seed to the lemon and potato base.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

1009 kcal · protein 58.5 g · fat 69.6 g (saturated 26.1 g) · carbohydrate 38.5 g (sugars 2 g) · fibre 5.1 g · sodium 1000 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. The classic Greek neighbourhood communal-bakery Sunday roast style, balancing lamb drippings with high-acid lemon juice and wild oregano..

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