Leg of lamb with spring potatoes will delight young and old alike at the family table.
Materials for the leg of lamb:
One leg of lamb, about 2 kg, boneless
One box of dry oregano
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
One large onion, chopped
Three cloves of garlic, whole
200g slice, cut into pieces
Five sprigs of fresh rosemary
Feta
salt, freshly ground pepper
For the potatoes:
2 kilos of spring potatoes with the skin
sunflower oil for frying
1 tsp. tablespoon of coriander seeds, cracked
1 tsp. turmeric
1½ cups wine
salt, freshly ground pepper
Procedure
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180oC fan. Spread the leg of lamb on a smooth surface and sprinkle it well with salt, pepper, and oregano, inside and out.
Step 2
Heat 2 tsp. of olive oil over medium heat in a small pan and sauté the onion and the three cloves of garlic until they release their aromas. Remove the pan from the heat, and once they have cooled, stir in the feta cheese. Stuff the leg with the feta mixture and tie it tightly at the beginning, in the middle and end with kitchen twine so that the filling does not spill out.
Step 3
Cover the base of a pan with the rosemary sprigs, pour 250ml of water and place the stuffed leg on top. Cut a piece of greaseproof paper, wet it well and crumple it up. Cover the meat with this and bake it in the oven for 1 hour.
Step 4
Then, remove the parchment paper and continue baking for at least 1 hour or until the meat is tender and well browned. Leave the meat out of the oven to cool slightly, cut the strings and serve it on a plate accompanied by the baked spring potatoes.
Step 5
For the potatoes: Wash the potatoes well and rub them with a kitchen wire to remove any dirt. Roll them with a thick rolling pin until they break. Heat plenty of sunflower oil over high heat in a deep pot. As soon as the oil heats up, fry the potatoes in batches. Transfer them to a clean, spacious pot with a slotted spoon.
Step 6
Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with coriander and turmeric and pour over the wine. Cook over high heat, stirring with a spatula until the wine evaporates. Serve warm with the stuffed leg of lamb.
Ilias Mamalakis is a columnist for Cantina. Translated by Paul Antonopoulos.
READ MORE: PAIDAKIA (GREEK GRILLED LAMB CHOPS)
