Baked lamb "Kleftiko"

The word of this dish derives from the Greek verb "klevo" which means "to steal" and there is a story behind it. As a recipe it seems that it goes back to the (at least) 1800s during the period of the Greek Revolution against the Ottomans. Back then, the Greek rebels were hiding in the mountains and often they would need to steal some goat or lamb so to be able to feed themselves. They would cook their meals in a very subtle way so the Turks could not spot their hide-outs by the smell or the smoke of the food while it was cooking. What they were doing was to seal all the ingredients of this dish in a clay pot, then bury it along with hot coals under ground, cover with soil, and allow it to braise slowly until done. Nowadays, still, the dish can be found cooked in a clay pot or wrapped in layers of baking paper and baked in the oven for hours. Some people add vegetables like potatoes, sweet peas and carrots in the baking paper and often Kefalotyri or Kefalograviera cheese in cubes. This, though, confuses things because in this way what we have is a totally different recipe called "Exohiko" ("Countryside")! In which, traditionally, the meat and the vegetables are tightly wrapped in layers of phyllo sheets pastry

Ingredients (for 4 -6 people):
1 medium to large leg of lamb (bone in), cut into portions or left whole
10 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp dried spearmint (optional)
5 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered (optional)
1 cup of red wine
1/3 cup of olive oil
a bit of salt
black pepper

Method:
Preheat the oven to 160°-170°C.

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients together (meat included) and mix well with your hands until everything is well-coated. Season generously with salt and pepper and if you wish marinate for a few hours (in that case mix the potatoes in just before cooking).

Cut 3-4 large sheets of baking paper, put in the center all the ingredients and wrap the paper into an envelope form. Make sure the ingredients are well wrapped because none of the juices should run out while cooking. Put the packet into a large oven pan adding half a cup of water.

Put in the oven and bake for 3-3 1/2 hours. The meat should be falling off the bone and the potatoes (if used) should be cooked through but not mushy getting a delicious flavour from the rest of the ingredients.
 

When it is time transfer the packet onto a large serving dish, open up the baking paper and let the meat to stand for a few minutes. You either take the meat off the bone carefully (threading really) or leave as it is and serve at the table still in the baking paper with the potatoes around.

Serve immediately with a refreshing lettuce or other green salad.