1 leg of lamb, approximately 2 kg or a medium-sized shoulder of lamb
2 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered lengthways
1 kg potatoes, peeled and quartered lengthways
juice of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons olive oil
300 ml water
salt and pepper
3 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
Rinse the meat. Make four deep slits with a sharp knife at various fleshy points and insert the garlic. Lay the meat in a square baking dish and surround it with the quartered potatoes. Pour the lemon juice and the olive oil over the meat and potatoes, then pour the water into a corner of the dish. Season the meat and the potatoes with the herbs.
Cook in a pre-heated oven at 220C/425F/Gas 7 for the first 20 minutes, then turn down to 190C/375F/Gas 5 and cook for one hour. Take out halfway to stir the potatoes and baste the meat and add a little water if needed. After this, take out and turn the meat over on its uncooked side and season with salt pepper and more herbs. Turn the oven up to 220C/425F/Gas 7 again and cook for further 20 minutes. The meat should get overcooked by western standards until it is virtually falling of the bones. Don’t worry, because of the way it is prepared it never dries out.
A shoulder of lamb can be treated in exactly the same way but cooked less, 1-1/2 hours would be enough for a medium-sized one. Serve with a green salad or any of the following recipes
Servings: 6