Chef Dimitra
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Western Macedonian Arni me Giaourti (Αρνί με Γιαούρτι)
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Western Macedonia's Easter lamb is roasted first, then given its yogurt, egg, and kefalotyri cover late, so the meat stays tender and the topping sets golden.
Main Dishes
Greek
Easter
Special Occasion
Comfort Food
25 min
Active Time
2 hr 20 min cook•2 hr 55 min total
Yield6 servings
Arni me giaourti is Western Macedonia's Easter lamb: lamb roasted until tender, then covered with giaourti, eggs, and sharp cheese so the top sets into a pale-gold crust. The region is the dish's surname here. In Kozani, Grevena, and the villages around them, spring lamb doesn't always go to the spit. Often it goes into the tapsi, the round baking pan, with good olive oil, a little garlic, and patience.
The one method that decides it is when you add the yogurt. Roast the lamb first until the meat gives under a fork, then whisk the yogurt with eggs, flour, cheese, and a few spoonfuls of hot pan juice before it goes over the meat. Give that cover only its last short bake. Long harsh heat makes yogurt split; late steady heat lets it set like a soft savory custard, golden at the edges.
I keep this version spare because the dish is spare. No extra vegetables hiding under the lamb, no dressing it up until you can't recognize the north in it. A recipe written down is a recipe saved, and this one deserves to come out of your oven tasting like Easter in Western Macedonia.
Arni me giaourti belongs to Western Macedonia's Easter table, especially the stock-raising districts around Kozani, Grevena, and Florina, where sheep and goat dairying shaped the kitchen as much as wheat did. The yogurt-and-egg crust is a northern mainland answer to Paschal lamb that elsewhere is roasted simply with lemon, oregano, and oil. Its older logic is practical: fresh spring lamb and thick sheep's-milk yogurt meet in one oven dish after Lent ends.
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Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
bone-in spring lamb shoulder or leg
Quantity
1.8kg
cut into 6 serving pieces
fine sea salt
Quantity
14g
12g for the lamb, 2g for the topping
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1 teaspoon
divided
dried Greek oregano
Quantity
1 teaspoon
rubbed between your fingers
garlic cloves
Quantity
4
lightly crushed
extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil
Quantity
70ml
sheep's-milk butter or unsalted butter
Quantity
30g
diced
hot water
Quantity
200ml
plus more if the pan dries
full-fat strained sheep's-milk yogurt (giaourti)
Quantity
500g
at room temperature
large eggs
Quantity
3
at room temperature
all-purpose flour
Quantity
25g
kefalotyri or kasseri
Quantity
120g
finely grated
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| bone-in spring lamb shoulder or legcut into 6 serving pieces | 1.8kg |
| fine sea salt12g for the lamb, 2g for the topping | 14g |
| freshly ground black pepperdivided | 1 teaspoon |
| dried Greek oreganorubbed between your fingers | 1 teaspoon |
| garlic cloveslightly crushed | 4 |
| extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil | 70ml |
| sheep's-milk butter or unsalted butterdiced | 30g |
| hot waterplus more if the pan dries | 200ml |
| full-fat strained sheep's-milk yogurt (giaourti)at room temperature | 500g |
| large eggsat room temperature | 3 |
| all-purpose flour | 25g |
| kefalotyri or kasserifinely grated | 120g |
Equipment Needed
- •deep metal tapsi or heavy roasting dish, 32cm
- •aluminum foil or fitted lid
- •balloon whisk
Instructions
- 1
Season the lamb
Heat the oven to 180C. Put the lamb in a deep 32cm tapsi or heavy roasting dish. Rub it with 12g salt, half the pepper, the oregano, garlic, and olive oil, then dot the butter over the top. Pour the hot water around the meat, not over it, and cover the dish tightly with foil.
- 2
Roast until tender
Roast for 1 hour 30 minutes, turning the pieces once. Uncover, spoon the pan juices over the lamb, and roast for another 20 to 25 minutes, until the meat has browned and a fork slides in without argument. If the pan looks dry, add a splash of hot water. You want roughly a cup of glossy pan juices left.
- 3
Mix the topping
Lower the oven to 170C. In a bowl, whisk the yogurt, eggs, flour, remaining 2g salt, remaining pepper, and 100g of the grated cheese until smooth. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of the hot pan juices in a thin stream. The yogurt topping goes on late because long harsh heat makes it split; a short final bake lets it set into a soft golden crust.
Full-fat strained yogurt matters here. Low-fat yogurt is thin and mean in the oven, and it will not give you the same cover over the lamb. - 4
Finish the crust
Pour the yogurt mixture over the lamb, nudging it between the pieces so the meat is mostly covered. Scatter over the remaining 20g cheese. Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, until the topping is set, lightly puffed, and golden at the edges.
- 5
Rest and serve
Let the dish rest for 15 minutes before serving. The crust settles, the pan juices thicken a little, and each spoonful holds together. Serve with horta, roast potatoes, or plain pilafi, and keep bread on the table for the sauce.
Chef Tips
- •Use shoulder if you can choose. Leg is handsome, but shoulder has the fat and connective tissue that make this dish forgiving under the yogurt crust. Λίγα και καλά: good lamb, good yogurt, good cheese.
- •Sheep's-milk yogurt is closest to the Western Macedonian table. If you use cow's-milk yogurt, choose full-fat strained Greek yogurt and let it come to room temperature before whisking it with the eggs.
- •Do not pour the topping onto a pan full of thin liquid. If you have too much juice, spoon some out and keep it warm for serving. The yogurt should cover the lamb, not drown in broth.
- •This is rich Easter food. Put something green beside it: boiled horta with lemon, a bitter salad, or simply herbs and spring onions. The lamb doesn't need another loud thing on the plate.
Advance Preparation
- •Salt the lamb up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate it uncovered, then bring it out 45 minutes before roasting.
- •Grate the cheese and measure the yogurt topping ingredients the morning of cooking, but whisk the topping only when the lamb is ready.
- •For a special meal, roast the lamb until tender earlier the same day, keep it covered, then add the yogurt topping and finish it 30 minutes before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 320g)
Calories
785 calories
Total Fat
58 g
Saturated Fat
25 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
32 g
Cholesterol
280 mg
Sodium
1400 mg
Total Carbohydrates
8 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
4 g
Protein
53 g
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