Kleftiko with whole roast cabbage and spiced butter
This is a traditional Greek dish of slowly roasted lamb, cooked in one tin with potatoes, onions and tomatoes.
Ingredients
For the kleftiko
- 1 leg or shoulder of lamb (approximately 2kg/4lb 8oz), ask butcher to cut into 4 large pieces or leave whole
- olive oil, for drizzling
- ½ tbsp dried oregano
- 3 bay leaves, crushed
- 1 head garlic
- 1kg/2lb 4oz Cyprus potatoes (or Maris Pipers), well scrubbed and cut into wedges
- 2 onions, cut into thin wedges
- 4 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 cinnamon stick
- few fresh oregano sprigs (optional)
- 2 lemons, juice only
- 250ml/9fl oz white wine
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the spiced butter
- 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 lemon, zest only
- 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp Aleppo pepper (or ¼ tsp dried red chilli flakes)
- 100g/3½oz unsalted butter, at room temperature, chopped
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the cabbage
- 1 white cabbage (approximately 750g/1lb 10oz)
- 4 onions, cut into 2.5cm/1in wedges
- 500ml/18fl oz vegetable stock
- 50ml/2fl oz olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
To make the kleftiko, place the lamb in a large dish and drizzle over the oil. Season generously with salt and pepper and sprinkle over the oregano and bay leaves.
Peel two garlic cloves and cut each into four pieces. Pierce the lamb eight times with a sharp knife and poke in the garlic pieces. Rub the herbs and oil into the lamb, then cover and place in the fridge overnight.
Take the lamb out of the fridge 15 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3.
Line a large roasting tin with greaseproof paper, ensuring there is enough of an overhang to crimp the edges (you might need to fold two pieces together lengthways to ensure it is wide enough).
Crush the remaining unpeeled garlic cloves with the flat side of a heavy knife. Place the crushed garlic, potatoes, onion and tomatoes in the roasting tin and add the cinnamon stick and oregano sprigs, if using.
Place the marinated lamb on top of the vegetables in the tin and spoon over the marinade from the dish. Squeeze the lemon juice over the lamb and pour the wine into the bottom of the tin.
Tear off another large sheet of greaseproof paper and wet it under running water.
Squeeze out any excess water and lay it over the lamb, crimping the edges of paper together with the pieces underneath to completely seal.
Roast in the oven for 3 hours (or for a whole piece of lamb at least 4½ hours), or until cooked through and very tender.
Remove the top sheet of greaseproof paper. Turn the oven up to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 and return the tin to the oven for a final 15 minutes to give it a little colour. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
To make the spiced butter, place the garlic, lemon zest, paprika, coriander, Aleppo pepper and butter in a bowl. Beat together with a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Set aside.
To make the cabbage, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Slice the base off the cabbage and, as carefully as possible, use a sharp paring knife to hollow out the cabbage and remove some of the core. Sit the cabbage upside down in a deep ovenproof casserole or a roasting tin, so the hollowed-out core is facing up. Scatter the onion wedges around it.
Spoon a third of the spiced butter into the hollowed-out core, then dot a further third around the onions and cabbage. Pour the stock into the base of the casserole or tin. Drizzle everything with the oil and season with a little salt and pepper.
Cover with the lid or tightly with kitchen foil and roast in the oven for 1¼ hours.
Carefully turn the cabbage over so it is core-side down. Pierce the top a few times with a sharp knife and baste with the remaining butter. Squeeze the lemon juice into the onions and return the casserole or tin to the oven for 1 hour, or until everything is tender and slightly charred.
Place wedges of the cabbage with the onions and spiced butter on warmed plates. Serve with the lamb and all the vegetables and juices from the lamb roasting tin.
