Lamb Tava Recipe (Cypriot Style Baked With Potatoes)

This slow-cooked lamb tava recipe is a traditional Cypriot dish that combines fall-off-the-bone lamb with juicy potatoes, all infused with warm, comforting flavours. It’s an easy-to-make, one-pan meal perfect for family dinners! I love this recipe because it’s a refreshing change from the lemony flavours in a lot of Greek dishes and brings variety to your dinner table!

If you love one-pan, easy meals you can prep ahead of time, be sure to check out my lamb kleftiko for a lemony, zesty twist that’s quite similar to this dish, as well as my Greek lemon lamb leg and Greek lemon chicken with potatoes for more favourites!

But if you’re after another classic Cypriot dish, my afelia pork recipe, braised in red wine and coriander, is a must-try for an another authentic taste of Cyprus.

Jump to:

• Why You Will love this recipe
• What is Tava?
• Overview of the key steps
• Watch the video tutorial
• Ingredients
• Preparation
• Step-by-step Cooking Instructions
• Top Tips
• Serving Suggestions
• FAQ
• 📖 Recipe

Why You Will love this recipe

• Juicy, Mouth Tender Lamb: The slow-cooked lamb is fall-apart tender and infused with all the delicious spices and tomato goodness.
• Authentic and Comforting: This dish brings the heart of Cypriot cuisine to your table with simple, bold ingredients that are full of flavour.
• Effortless to Make: It’s a one-pan recipe with minimal prep and clean up, which is perfect for busy days or laid-back weekends. Just pop it into the oven and carry on with your day!

What is Tava?

The word "Tava" refers to the traditional clay dish used in Cyprus to bake this recipe. This terracotta pot, with its round shape and lid, is designed to lock in moisture and enhance the flavour of slow-cooked dishes like this one. While an authentic tava adds a unique touch, you can easily use a deep baking dish, casserole dish, or Dutch oven for equally delicious results.

Dish size

For this recipe, I use a 39cm x 31cm roasting pan, which is large enough to keep everything in a single layer. This ensures even cooking and allows the potatoes and lamb to soak up all the rich tomato flavours.

Overview of the key steps

This slow-cooked Cypriot lamb shoulder tava dish is so easy to make! Here’s a quick overview of the steps to give you the idea of the recipe:

1. Place the Ingredients: Arrange the lamb and vegetables in your roasting dish.
2. Season and Mix: Drizzle with olive oil and mix in the seasonings to coat everything evenly.
3. Add the Tomatoes: Pour the blended tomatoes over the lamb mixture, letting all the flavours soak in.
4. Bake and Relax: Cover the dish and bake low and slow until the lamb is mouth-tender and infused with warm, comforting flavours.

Watch the video tutorial

Watch my step-by-step video tutorial to learn exactly how to make this lamb tava recipe from start to finish!

Make sure to like, comment, and share the video with your friends who would love this dish! Don't forget to follow along on the social for more great recipes!

Ingredients

Here's an overview of the ingredients needed to make this beautiful Cypriot baked lamb dish. Like all my recipes, the exact quantities are found at the bottom of the page in the recipe card.

Meat

• Lamb Shoulder: This is the heart of the dish! Slow-cooking large chunks of lamb shoulder ensures the meat becomes juicy, tender, and infused with all the warm spices. Ask your butcher for large, bone-in pieces for extra flavour.
• Other Cuts: You can also use thick slices of lamb chops or a lamb mixture with your favourite cuts. This adds variety and creates a dish that’s full of rich textures and flavours.

Rest of the ingredients

• Potatoes: These soak up all the delicious tomato sauce and spices, becoming tender and full of flavour. You can peel them or leave the skin on if you’re short on time. Just cut them into quarters, and you’re good to go!
• Red Onions: I prefer them over brown onions for this recipe, as they add a subtle sweetness and balance everything nicely. Plus, they caramelise beautifully in the oven, adding even more depth.
• Garlic: Grab a whole garlic, clean all the cloves, and scatter them into the dish. The garlic cloves bake until soft and buttery, melting into the juices and enhancing every bite.
• Blended Tomatoes: A lot of recipes call for tomato slices or wedges, and you can absolutely do this. But in my opinion, blending the tomatoes gives better flavour and tenderises the meat so much more.
• Olive Oil: Extra virgin Greek olive oil is essential for coating the lamb and vegetables, helping them cook evenly while adding a beautiful richness and extra juiciness.
• Cinnamon and Cumin: These warm, aromatic spices are popular in Cypriot cooking. They’re simple but give the recipe its signature flavour. If you only have cumin seeds, crush them up for better marinating!
• Salt and Black Pepper: A must for bringing out the natural flavours of every ingredient and tying the dish together perfectly.

Preparation

Here’s what you need to organise before you start cooking:

• Lamb Shoulder: If you’re using bone-in lamb shoulder like me, make sure to ask your butcher to cut it for you. It’s not the easiest thing to do at home!

• Prep the Vegetables: Peel and quarter the potatoes, slice the onions into large chunks, and clean the garlic cloves.
• Blend the Tomatoes: Blend your fresh tomatoes until smooth for a juicy, pulpy consistency that adds flavour and tenderises the lamb. You can use tomato purée or canned chopped tomatoes, but I prefer fresh for this recipe.
• Gather Your Ingredients: Measure out your olive oil, spices, salt, and pepper so everything is ready to go.
• Prepare Your Dish: Make sure your large roasting dish is ready to fit everything nicely. If you’re not using a traditional clay pot with a lid, have your baking paper and aluminium foil on hand.

Once you’ve got everything prepared, assembling the dish will be a breeze!

Step-by-step Cooking Instructions

Follow these simple steps to create this delicious Cypriot Tava recipe. Make sure to use the images below and watch the video, which also has the full instructions on display!

1. Prepare the Dish: Place the lamb shoulder chunks into your roasting dish along with the potatoes, onions, and cleaned garlic cloves.
2. Season and Coat: Drizzle the olive oil over the lamb and vegetables, then gradually add the salt, pepper, cinnamon, and cumin. Mix everything thoroughly to ensure the lamb and vegetables are evenly coated with the seasonings.

3. Add the Tomatoes: Pour the blended tomatoes over the lamb mixture and give everything a final mix to ensure the tomatoes coat all the ingredients evenly. Once mixed, position the lamb and vegetables nicely in the dish.
4. Cover and Bake: Cover the dish with wet parchment paper (soaked and wrung out), then tightly seal with aluminium foil. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (fan-forced) for 4 hours.
5. Rest and Serve: Once cooked, let the dish rest for 10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute. Serve with crusty bread, your favourite salads, and sides!

Top Tips

• Choose the Right Dish: A large roasting pan, deep baking dish, or casserole dish works best. Keep everything in a single layer for even cooking and to let the potatoes and lamb soak up all the flavours.
• Use Fresh Ingredients: Freshly blended tomatoes and whole garlic cloves bring out the best flavour in this dish. The acidity in fresh tomatoes also helps tenderise the lamb, making it even more melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
• Room Temperature Before Baking: If you’ve prepared the dish ahead of time and refrigerated it, let it come to room temperature before baking. This ensures it cooks evenly and avoids needing extra time in the oven.
• Additional Browning: If you need more colour after it’s been pulled out of the oven, remove the covers and place it back in the oven for an additional 15 minutes.
• Don’t Forget the Juices: Once the dish is cooked, spoon some of the rich juices over the lamb and potatoes just before serving for even more flavour and a beautifully glossy finish.

Serving Suggestions

• Meze: Having people over for dinner? Start the night with my feta-stuffed peppers. Pop them in the oven alongside your lamb tava for an easy, cheesy appetiser that pairs perfectly with this dish.
• Bread: A must for soaking up the juices at the bottom! Use my easy bread recipe, or if you’ve made my pita bread recipe or pocket pita, they’re perfect as well!
• Salad: A large bowl of salad makes this a complete, well-rounded meal. Whip up a Greek salad or try my maroulosalata (green salad), which is perfectly refreshing!
• Sauce: What always goes with lamb? Tzatziki sauce! If you haven’t got any prepared, simply add some Greek yoghurt to your plate for another great pairing.
• Rice/ bulgur: Two of my favourite sides to go with this are Cypriot pourgouri pilafi, or my Greek pilafi rice recipe.I love throwing one of them in the oven during the last 30 minutes of cooking. I’m getting hungry again just writing this haha! If you haven’t tried them, seriously make sure you do!
• Dessert: To really wow your guests after a dinner this good, try my portokalopita (orange pie) or lemonopita (lemon pie). They’re easy to prepare ahead of time, last a few days, and are the perfect ending to the meal!

FAQ

📖 Recipe