Lemon, oregano and time — the Greek family-table treatment for the whole cut

Every Greek family has a version of this and none of them are wrong. Garlic, dried oregano and lemon get worked deep into the lamb, potatoes go underneath to catch everything that falls, and the oven runs slow enough that nobody has to watch it. What comes out isn't pink, carve-at-the-table lamb — it's the other thing entirely: golden on top, giving underneath, with lemony potatoes that half the table will fight over harder than the meat. It's Sunday cooking from a country that takes Sundays seriously.

4 hrs 30 mins 6 servings Prep 1 hr 20 minsCook 3 hrs 10 minsMain CourseGreek

Ingredients

  • 1 Your Farmer grass-fed lamb roast (approx 1.5kg, leg or shoulder)
  • 5 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 tbsp dried oregano
  • 2 lemons — zest of 1, juice of both
  • 80ml olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to season
  • 1kg potatoes, cut into thick wedges
  • 250ml chicken stock

Instructions

For the marinade

Mix the garlic, oregano, lemon zest, the juice of one lemon, half the olive oil and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper into a rough paste.

5 cloves garlic2 tbsp dried oregano40ml olive oil

Cut deep slits all over the lamb and work the paste into every one, then rub the rest over the surface. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (overnight is optional and even better).

1 lamb roast

For the roast

Heat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced). Toss the potato wedges in a large baking dish with the remaining oil, the juice of the second lemon and a good pinch of salt, then pour the stock around them.

1kg potatoes40ml olive oil250ml chicken stock

Sit the lamb on top of the potatoes, cover the dish tightly with foil, and roast for 2 hours.

Uncover and roast a further 40–50 minutes, until the lamb is deeply golden and gives easily to a fork — this one goes well past pink on purpose — and the potato edges are catching colour.

Rest the lamb loosely under foil for 20 minutes. If the potatoes want more colour, give them that time back in the oven at 210°C.

Pull the lamb into generous chunks and serve it over the lemony potatoes, spooning the pan juices over everything. A Greek salad on the side finishes the argument.

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Lamb Share A only — Roast (~1.5kg)

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Why Greece Cooks Lamb This Way

Lamb is a rich meat, and the Greek answer to richness has always been acid and herbs rather than restraint — lemon juice worked into the meat before cooking, and more poured over the potatoes underneath. The long, covered stretch does two jobs at once: it steams the lamb tender the way a village wood oven would, and it lets the potatoes drink a broth of stock, lemon and lamb drippings that no other roast potato method can touch. Dried oregano, not fresh, is the correct call here — it's the mountain-dried herb Greek cooking is actually built on, and it stands up to three hours in the oven where fresh leaves would vanish. The cut doing the work is the roast from a Your Farmer® pastured lamb share — leg or shoulder, both arrive at the same tender place.

Swaps and Variations

Push it one step further into kleftiko country by wrapping lamb and potatoes together in baking paper inside the foil — the parcel opens at the table to applause. A handful of kalamata olives thrown in for the uncovered stretch, or feta crumbled over at the end, are both traditional and both excellent. White wine can stand in for the stock. If you're weighing up where lamb like this comes from, our guide to buying grass-fed lamb online in NSW covers the questions worth asking.

Storage and Leftovers

Lamb and potatoes keep together, covered, for 3 days in the fridge — reheat the lot in a 180°C oven so the potatoes recover their edges. The lamb alone freezes for up to 3 months. The classic next-day move is the one Greece already invented: warm chunks of lamb, a spoonful of tzatziki or plain yoghurt, tomato and onion, all wrapped in warm pita. Better than most Friday takeaway, and it's technically leftovers.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use fresh oregano instead of dried?

Dried is actually the authentic choice and holds up better over three hours in the oven. If fresh is all you have, triple the quantity and add half of it at the uncovering stage so some flavour survives.

How long can the lamb marinate?

One hour is the honest minimum and overnight is better — the lemon and garlic keep working the whole time. Much past 24 hours the lemon juice starts changing the meat's texture at the surface, so don't stretch it further.

Won't the potatoes go soggy under the lamb?

They're meant to be soft and juice-soaked underneath with golden, catching edges on top — that contrast is the dish. If yours are swimming rather than braising, you've likely used a too-small dish; the wedges should sit in one crowded layer, not stacked.

What internal temperature am I aiming for?

Don't chase medium here — this style cooks well past it, to around 85–90°C, where the meat turns fork-tender. The test is a fork, not a thermometer: if it twists in easily, it's done.

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