This recipe for Greek lamb is one of my favourites. You can throw it in the slow cooker and be transformed to one of the Greek islands, imagining you’re throwing back a couple of Ouzos while the heady scents of garlic, lemon and oregano are wafting through your house. You can use any cut of lamb. I used ‘el cheapo’ lamb shoulder chops but it works well on a lamb leg or shoulder, diced lamb, lamb ribs, necks, just about anything.
Once cooked, the meat just falls off the bone and I sometimes use it wrapped in pita bread with salad and a dip of some sort or served with Greek potatoes (diced, par boiled potatoes, tossed in olive oil and a little oregano or rosemary and then baked until golden) and vegetables.
Last night, I decided to serve it with cubed potatoes wrapped in a light, buttery pastry ‘free form’ style. No need to worry about lining pie plates or having the pastry shrink.
Greek Lamb & Potato Free Form Pie
3-4 lamb shoulder chops (or any cut of lamb)
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs dried oregano
juice of 1 lemon
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
3-4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tbs red wine/balsamic vinegar
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil (for lamb/potato mixture)
Combine first five ingredients into a slow cooker (or alternatively, bake in the oven, covered in foil) for 3-4 hours on slow. Remove meat from bones and set aside.
Pastry:
1.1/2 cups plain flour
100gm butter, cubed
4-5 tbs cold water
Rub butter into flour until crumbs form. Add water and, using a butter knife, mix into flour/butter until pastry comes together. (You could also use a food processor to combine.) You may need a little more water if the mixture is too dry. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 mins.
Par boil diced potatoes. Allow to cool slightly before putting in pastry.
Roll out pastry into an oval shape, large enough to pile lamb/potato mixture onto, allowing 2-3″ (5-7cm) of pastry on the outside.
Combine diced lamb and potatoes, 1 tbs balsamic or red wine vinegar and extra 1 tbs olive oil. Pile on top of pastry and fold up pastry around the outside, folding in every 5cm to form a pie.
Bake in a 180 deg C oven (160 deg C fan forced) for approx 30 mins or until pastry is golden.
Serve with lemon wedges, a drizzle of Greek yoghurt (or Tzatziki – Cucumber/Yoghurt dip) and garnish with parsley. Serve with Greek salad or vegies of your choice.
Just delicious! This would also work well as a picnic food, served cold.
