Kleftiko!

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Pictured, this afternoon's birthday main course after cooking - see last night's post for a preamble - although a kleftiko  is essentially a pot roast with juices, I decided halfway though cooking to separate the meat from the veg and strain the sauce from the potato/pepper/tomato/garlic etc. mix and continue roasting the meat and veg in separate pans on a higher heat to finish. The sauce was reduced just a little, and we served it more like a traditional Sunday roast. Despite the deconstruction, it was recognisably a Greek kleftiko, with a hefty presence of lemon, garlic and oregano. I used a large glass of red wine as the base liquor, and the initial cooking was started, covered, on a high heat for just under an hour then reduced to 150˚C for a couple of hours before the deconstruction and final roast for an hour or so at 200˚C uncovered. Most importantly, the meat was rested for about an hour before serving, and was tender and flavourful as a result. We will all smell rather of garlic tomorrow, but who cares? All in all a success: the potatoes were stunning with the late addition of softened feta cheese and the sauce too was as good as it gets. One thing's for sure, that Halal butcher is going to be a number one go-to for me in the future. Excellent produce at a stunningly good price... 

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