Albanian-style baked lamb with rice
Prep time: 40 minsTotal time: 
Albanian-style baked lamb with rice
Prep time: 40 minsTotal time: 
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our Head of Food. She loves the precision and creativity of baking, turning fridge odds-and-ends into a weeknight pasta, and is always bookmarking new restaurants to try. She's happiest hosting friends around a table overflowing with food (and insisting everyone has seconds) or planning holidays around what to eat.
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our Head of Food. She loves the precision and creativity of baking, turning fridge odds-and-ends into a weeknight pasta, and is always bookmarking new restaurants to try. She's happiest hosting friends around a table overflowing with food (and insisting everyone has seconds) or planning holidays around what to eat.
Ingredients
- 800-900g boneless lamb shoulder joint
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 20g unsalted butter
- 2 onions, sliced
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 150g long grain rice
- whole nutmeg
- a few sprigs of fresh oregano, leaves picked
- green salad, to serve
For the topping
- 50g unsalted butter
- 50g plain flour
- 100ml whole milk
- 1 x 500g pot Taste the Difference authentic Greek yogurt
- 4 medium eggs, beaten
Step by step
-
Untie the lamb shoulder, trim any excess fat, then cut into 4-5cm chunks and season. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole over a high heat. Sear the lamb chunks in two batches, until browned all over, removing to a plate as you go.
-
Reduce the heat to low, then add the butter, onions, salt, garlic and dried oregano. Stir to combine, then cook for
10-12 minutes until softened. Return the lamb and any resting juices to the pan, then pour over 500ml water. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook gently for 1 hour 30 minutes until the lamb is tender. Meanwhile, soak the rice in a bowl of cold water. - For the topping, melt the butter in a pan, then stir in the flour. Cook out for 2-3 minutes, stirring. Remove from the heat, whisk in the milk, then gradually whisk in the yogurt, until thick. Return to a low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the beaten eggs until smooth. Season well with salt and black pepper.
-
Preheat the oven to 180°C, 160°C, gas 4. Drain and rinse the rice. Set a sieve over a measuring jug and use a ladle
to scoop out 200ml of liquid from the lamb mixture (return any onions to the lamb and reserve the stock to use in another dish). Transfer the lamb to a baking dish (about 28cm x 20cm x 6cm) and stir in the rice. Swiftly and evenly pour the yogurt topping over the lamb and rice to cover (don’t worry if it looks messy – the yogurt layer will
rise to the top in the oven). Generously grate over some nutmeg, then put on a baking tray. Bake for 45-50 minutes until the topping is puffed and golden. Let stand for 10 minutes, then scatter with the fresh oregano. Serve with a green salad on the side.
