Share

You have not truly tried traditional Greek food, until you tried a Roasted Leg Of Lamb, also known as Lamb Kleftiko.

And you don’t have to wait till Easter to serve either, this recipe is so good you will be sure to crave it just as often as the Greeks do in Cypress.

If you follow this recipe to a tea, you will have the most juicy and tender leg of lamb you ever tasted. 

The size of your leg you make depends on how many you are cooking for.

A 6 pound leg of lamb will feed about 8 people so you can judge by this what weight you will need.

I am using 3 pound leg which will feed a family of three to four. 

HOW TO MAKE GREEK LAMB KLEFTIKO 

1. If your lamb leg is frozen, start by defrosting it in the bottom of the fridge anywhere from 24-48 hours (if fresh skipped this step)
2. Next prepare your marinade. In a bowl, mix your crushed garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano, olive oil, and lemon juice.
3. Lay your lamb out on the counter, and season on both sides generously with salt and pepper.
4. Then take your knife and make slits all over the leg, front and back.
5. Place the lamb now on a long piece of parchment paper and make a boat around it to hold in the marinade.
6. Massage the marinade all over the lamb, making sure to get some of the marinade in the slits.
7. Place the wrapped leg in the bottom of your roasting pan, and allow it to marinade overnight in the fridge.

HOW TO COOK LAMB KLEFTIKO 

1. The next morning, take your lamb out and allow it to sit on the counter for 30 minutes prior to cooking.
2. Open up the parchment paper, and pour in your “Chicken Stock” around the leg (try not to pour it all over the leg) rather around. As you don’t want to remove the seasonings.
3. Now with a little bit of tinfoil cover the ends of the leg to ensure the parchment paper does not fold away.
4. Preheat your oven to 425 f (convection ovens) or 450 for (standard ovens) for 30 minutes, then lower it to 325 f (conventional ovens) or 350 for (standard ovens) and allow it to bake for 3 1/2 hours.
5. Once cooked, remove from the oven and open the paper to baste the lamb with the remaining juices.
6. Place back in the oven for 30 more minutes uncovered till browned. (You may want to add a bit more liquid) totally up to you.
7. Once done, remove the leg and drain the broth directly into a gravy holder.
8. Allow it to rest 30 minutes before serving and serve with that delicious broth, adjust to taste.

Note: You can add potatoes into the parchment paper. I like to serve my lamb with pita bread, either are great ways to sop up that delicious gravy. Goes great with my Greek Tzatziki sauce too.

Serve with some warm pitas to mop up that amazing gravy!

You can also serve with mash potatoes and any vegetable of your liking.

I am so thrilled you are reading one of my recipes, if you made this recipe i’d love to hear about it! Thank you very much for reading and until next time see ya in the kitchen. Don’t want to miss a recipe? Sign up for our NEWSLETTER delivered right to your inbox!

Roasted Leg of Lamb (Greek Kleftiko)

Yield: 3

Greek food made simple

Print

Ingredients

• 3 pounds Leg of lamb
• MARINADE
• 500 mls (2 cups) Chicken Stock (low sodium)
• 1 Lemon
• 1 tbsp Thyme
• Olive oil
• 10 Garlic
• 4 springs Fresh Rosemary
• 1 tbsp Dry Oregano
• 1 tbsp Salt & Pepper

Instructions

1. If your lamb leg is frozen, start by defrosting it in the bottom of the fridge anywhere from 24-48 hours (if fresh skipped this step)
2. Next prepare your marinade. In a bowl, mix your crushed garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano, olive oil, and lemon juice.
3. Lay your lamb out on the counter, and season on both sides generously with salt and pepper.
4. Then take your knife and make slits all over the leg, front and back.
5. Place the lamb now on a long piece of parchment paper and make a boat around it to hold in the marinade.
6. Massage the marinade all over the lamb, making sure to get some of the marinade in the slits.
7. Place the wrapped leg in the bottom of your roasting pan, and allow it to marinade overnight in the fridge.
9. HOW TO COOK LAMB KLEFTIKO 
10. The next morning, take your lamb out and allow it to sit on the counter for 30 minutes prior to cooking.
11. Open up the parchment paper, and pour in your "Chicken Stock" around the leg (try not to pour it all over the leg) rather around. As you don't want to remove the seasonings.
12. Now with a little bit of tinfoil cover the ends of the leg to ensure the parchment paper does not fold away.
13. Preheat your oven to 425 f (convection ovens) or 450 for (standard ovens) for 30 minutes, then lower it to 325 f (conventional ovens) or 350 for (standard ovens) and allow it to bake for 3 1/2 hours.
14. Once cooked, remove from the oven and open the paper to baste the lamb with the remaining juices.
15. Place back in the oven for 30 more minutes uncovered till browned. (You may want to add a bit more liquid) totally up to you.
16. Once done, remove the leg and drain the broth directly into a gravy holder.
17. Allow it to rest 30 minutes before serving and serve with that delicious broth, adjust to taste.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1495Total Fat: 98gSaturated Fat: 35gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 56gCholesterol: 427mgSodium: 3383mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 2gSugar: 9gProtein: 124g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest