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Halal-conscious recipe

Kleftiko lamb shanks, no wine

Tom Kerridge's Greek-style lamb shanks marinated with garlic, herbs, cinnamon and lemon, slow-baked over potatoes and peppers with water instead of white wine, and finished with feta.

  • Cuisine Greek
  • Meal Main
  • Difficulty Easy
  • Yield 4 lamb shanks with potatoes
  • Time 3h 35m
  • Last updated

Each method follows published technique for the dish, and every Halal substitution is checked against the ingredient pages we cite. Photographs come from our ingredient library rather than the finished dish.

Printable view
Lamb chops searing over flames on a charcoal grill, with metal tongs
Photograph from our ingredient library: lamb chops on a grill, not the finished dish from this recipe.

Photo: domdomegg · CC BY 4.0

Why Halal checks matter here

The lamb is Halal only from Halal slaughter, the potatoes are baked in 100 ml of white wine, and the feta on top is a rennet check.

Kleftiko is Greek slow-baked lamb, and the lamb is the first check: sheep are a Halal species, but the meat is only Halal when slaughtered to the standard you follow, so buy shanks from a Halal butcher or a certified pack.

This version follows Tom Kerridge's kleftiko-style lamb shanks for BBC Good Food. The source pours 100 ml of white wine over the potatoes but offers water as an alternative, so this version simply uses water. The other check is the feta: for cheese the rennet decides, so pick one labelled vegetarian or made with microbial rennet.

The tray bakes under foil for 2 hours 30 minutes, then uncovered for 30 more until the lamb falls off the bone.

Halal-critical ingredients

  • Lamb shanks Sheep are a Halal species, but the meat is only Halal when slaughtered to the standard you follow, and certifiers differ on stunning. Buy shanks from a Halal butcher or in a certified pack. See Lamb.
  • White wine The published recipe pours 100 ml of white wine over the potatoes, though it also offers water. Wine is the khamr the Qur'an forbids, and on this site that includes wine cooked into food. Use water, as the source allows and as here. See Wine.
  • Feta The rennet decides cheese: microbial, plant or Halal-slaughtered animal rennet is fine, while other animal rennet is a known difference of opinion. Use a feta labelled vegetarian or made with microbial rennet. See Cheese and Rennet.

Safe substitutes

  • 100 ml white wine → 100 ml water (the source's own alternative)
  • Feta with animal rennet → Feta labelled vegetarian or microbial rennet

Allergens

milk (feta)

Ingredients

Lamb and marinade

  • 4 Halal lamb shanks
  • 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • a large pinch ground cinnamon
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 large lemon, juiced (keep the squeezed halves)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra if needed

Tray

  • 1½ kg waxy potatoes, chopped into large chunks
  • 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped into chunks
  • 100 ml water (instead of 100 ml white wine, as the source allows)
  • 150 g feta made with microbial or vegetarian rennet, crumbled

Method

  1. Marinate the lamb. Put the Halal lamb shanks in a large bowl with the garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano, cinnamon, bay, lemon juice and squeezed halves, and the oil. Season well and toss together. If you have time, chill overnight.
  2. Set up the tray. Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Tip the potatoes and pepper into a large roasting tin and pour over the water. Lift the lamb out of the marinade, pour the leftover marinade over the vegetables and toss, then arrange the lamb on top.
  3. Bake covered. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 2 hours 30 minutes.
  4. Bake uncovered. Lift out the lamb, turn the vegetables over, then turn the lamb and put it back on top. Drizzle over a little more oil if the tin seems dry and bake uncovered for 30 minutes more, until the lamb is falling off the bone and the potatoes are golden at the edges.
  5. Rest and serve. Rest for 5 minutes, then scatter over the feta and some fresh oregano if you have it.

How this recipe was researched

Method adapted from BBC Good Food's 'Kleftiko-style lamb shanks' by Tom Kerridge (serves 4: 4 lamb shanks tossed with chopped garlic, dried rosemary, thyme and oregano, cinnamon, bay, the juice and squeezed halves of a large lemon and 2 tbsp olive oil, chilled overnight if there is time; 1½ kg waxy potatoes and a red pepper in a roasting tin with 100 ml white wine 'or use water' and the leftover marinade; the lamb on top, covered tightly with foil and baked at 190C/170C fan/gas 5 for 2 hours 30 minutes; the veg and lamb turned and baked 30 minutes uncovered; rested 5 minutes and topped with 150 g crumbled feta). We specified Halal lamb, used the water the source already offers instead of the wine, and marked the feta as a rennet check. Timings follow the published technique rather than a kitchen test.

Technique and ingredient sources

  1. Kleftiko-style lamb shanks — BBC Good Food Retrieved:

    By Tom Kerridge. Serves 4, prep 30 minutes, cook 3 hours: lamb shanks in garlic, dried herbs, cinnamon, bay, lemon and oil; potatoes and pepper with 100 ml white wine or water; covered at 190C/170C fan/gas 5 for 2 hours 30, then 30 minutes uncovered; rested 5 minutes; feta. We used water.

  2. Lamb analysis — isithalal.food Retrieved:

    Why lamb is a Halal meat only from Halal slaughter, and where certifiers differ on stunning.

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