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Meat, European

Croatian lamb peka with roasted potatoes

Lamb peka with potatoes is a Croatian dish for 4 people, ready in 3 hours 10 minutes, easy difficulty, for €4.80 per serving. Lamb shoulder, potatoes and carrots cook together under a tightly sealed lid, the key is keeping the steam trapped for two hours so the meat turns fall apart tender.

We're heading to Croatia with a peka, lamb and potatoes slowly roasting under a dome while you go do something else.

Croatian lamb peka with roasted potatoes
Total time
3 h 10
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€4.80
Calories per person
570 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall, Spring
The kids
They generally like it

Peka is a dish from the Croatian coast where everything slow cooks under a dome for hours. Here the lamb shoulder releases its juices, the potatoes and carrots soak them up, and white wine with garlic season everything without ever taking over. The result is meat that falls apart on its own and vegetables that taste like the meat.

This is a Sunday kind of dish, the kind you put in the oven before heading out to do something else and find ready three hours later. Kids love the tender meat and the golden potatoes at the end, guests are surprised that something this simple can look like it took so much work.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Lamb shoulder 1.3 kg

Fruits and vegetables

  • Potatoes 1 kg
  • Carrots 3
  • Onions 2
  • Garlic 6 cloves
  • Rosemary 4 sprigs

Pantry

  • Dry white wineoften in the pantry 15 cl
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 4 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

The step by step recipe

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, then cut the shoulder into large pieces, stud it with slivers of garlic and rub it with salt, pepper and half the rosemary.

    Ask your butcher to cut the shoulder with the bone in, it adds flavor and gelatin.

  2. Peel the potatoes and carrots, cut them into large pieces and slice the onions.

    Keep the pieces nice and large, they need to hold their shape after three hours in the oven.

  3. Lay the onions at the bottom of a large baking dish, place the meat on top, surround it with the vegetables and drizzle with olive oil and white wine.

    The onions form a bed that protects the meat from the bottom of the dish.

  4. Cover tightly with foil and a lid, then bake for the slow cooking stage. 2 h 30

    Do not lift the lid before two hours, you would let the steam escape.

  5. Remove the lid, stir gently, add the rest of the rosemary and let the potatoes brown uncovered. 20 min

    Turn the oven up to 220 degrees for this last stage, everything browns in no time.

Our tips to get it right

  • Ask your butcher for a bone in shoulder if possible, the bone releases gelatin that naturally thickens the cooking juices.
  • Check that your dish seals tightly before baking, if steam escapes at the edges, add another layer of foil.
  • Let the meat rest five minutes out of the oven before cutting, the fibers relax and it becomes even easier to pull apart.

The variations

  • Swap the lamb shoulder for pork shoulder or boneless leg of lamb, the cooking time stays about the same.
  • For a vegetarian version, replace the meat with chunks of squash and button mushrooms, and cut the covered cooking time down to one hour.
  • For a quicker family version, cut the vegetables smaller and reduce the covered cooking time to one hour, the texture stays tender but the dish comes together faster.

What to serve it with

  • A green salad with a sharp dressing
  • Bread to soak up the juices
  • A dry white wine from the same bottle

Storage

This dish keeps two to three days in the fridge in a sealed container. It freezes well once cooled, meat and vegetables together. Reheat it covered, in the oven or in a pot, with a splash of water or broth if the juices have thickened.

Questions about this dish

Can you make lamb peka ahead of time?

Yes, you can make it the day before and reheat it covered the next day. The flavor is even better once the ingredients have had time to meld.

Do you need a special dish to make this peka?

No, a large oven dish with a lid or tightly sealed foil works fine. What matters is a tight seal, not the shape of the dish.

Can you replace the white wine with something else?

You can use chicken or vegetable broth with a splash of vinegar instead. The wine just adds a bit of acidity that balances the richness of the lamb.

Why does the meat need to stay covered for so long?

The trapped steam gently breaks down the fibers in the lamb shoulder without drying it out. If you lift the lid too early, the outside cooks faster while the inside stays tough.

How long does it take to make a Croatian lamb peka with roasted potatoes?

Count 3 h 10 in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a Croatian lamb peka with roasted potatoes?

About 570 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a Croatian lamb peka with roasted potatoes cost?

About €4.80 per serving, or €19.20 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains none of the major allergens tracked by Mon Chou. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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