Baked Leg of Lamb and Potatoes

true story.

Every day life can be traumatically real for newcomers to Greece; especially life in the villages.  Yannis had taken me to the countryside to enjoy a lovely spring day with friends and family shortly after arriving in Greece. We arrived with our two small children, the appropriate gift of sweets and hungry stomachs....that is untill I saw the men sitting around a small table sipping their ouzo's and plunging their forks into a grilled skull's eye balls, tongue and brains!!! We were invited to sit down to a dinner of the rest of the lamb and  I politely professed that I was a vegetarian.  Back then most Greeks couldn't fathom that anyone would or could ever go without eating lamb, their national favorite food!  So I kept giving my lamb to Yannis, who was more than happy to take it off my hands..or plate,rather.  We make Yannis favorite roasted lamb whenever it's time to celebrate., but we go to the butchers and come home with only it's leg!

Baked Leg of Lamb with Potatoes
6-7 lb. leg of lamb, with bone and no spices
6 cloves of garlic, quartered
2 Tables. oregano
coarse grain salt
pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
8 large potatoes
1 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup butter
salt and pepper
2 Tables.oregano

the kind of meal you wanna eat in photoshopped skivvies

Wash and dry the leg of lamb.  Place it in a baking dish and poke holes into the meat on all sides..Put the quartered garlic into the holes.  Rub the meat with olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper.  Squeeze 2 lemons over and cover with saran wrap.  Put in the refrigerator to marinate at least 2 hours..and up to 3 days; the longer the better.  Take out and let it sit at room temperature for 1/2 hour before baking in a hot oven for 15 minutes, or until dark on the bottom of the pan. (450F./220C.)  Stir in one cup of water and stir very well, mixing the dark drippings into the water.  Roast for one hour.  Prepare the potatoes by cleaning and cutting them into wedges.  Place in a bowl and pour 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 Tbsp oregano, salt and pepper and 1/4 cup butter over the potatoes, mixing with your hands till they are nicely coated.  Add the potatoes to the meat and continue roasting, uncovered for another hour.  Let the meat stand for 15 minutes  before serving with a Greek salad, lots of bread and lots and lots of red wine!  This is a great meal for your Greek Valentine's Day Feast!!