Greek Lamb with Lemon and Oregano

Set the oven to 220C (430F).

Rinse your lamb and pat dry with a paper towel. Trim off any excess fat, making sure to leave some on the lamb so it does not get dry when cooking.

Using a sharp knife, pierce the lamb all over, making small deep incisions (about 1 cm or 1/2 inch in diameter). Strip the oregano leaves off the stalks and stuff them down into the holes. Then begin to fill the holes with the butter, placing a small cube in each one and shoving it down until it is inside the lamb, saving a few cubes to scatter around the lamb.

Sprinkle the dried oregano over the lamb, crushing it slightly in your hands to release the flavour as you do. Then drizzle the olive oil over the top and rub slightly to coat the meat.

Note: If you do not have any fresh oregano you can substitute 2 tablespoons of dry oregano.

Pour the lemon juice and water around the lamb and place in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. Turn the lamb over and place back in the oven for another 10 minutes.

Remove the lamb from the oven and turn the temperature down to 180C (355F). If all the water and juice has evaporated, add a little more (1/2 cup or so) and completely cover the roasting pan in aluminium foil, sealing the sides.

Place back in the oven and cook for a further 3-4 hours (the longer the better), turning the lamb at least once, topping up the water slightly if more has evaporated (the lamb will go dry if there is no moisture present).

When done remove from the oven and remove from the pan. Strip the meat away from the bones (it should just fall apart) and place in a serving dish, pouring the juices and liquid left in the pan over the meat (you may want to skim a little of the fat off first, depending on how much there is left in the pan).

Serve with roast potatoes and a Greek salad or green beans tossed with feta.