Patoudo Naxou (Πατούδο Νάξου)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •large deep roasting pan or oval lidded roaster, 35-40cm
• •kitchen needle and cotton butcher's twine
• •instant-read thermometer
• •wide pan for the rice and greens filling

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the Meat

   Ask the butcher to cut a deep pocket in the lamb or kid, without slicing through the outside. Rub the meat inside and out with 18g of the salt, the pepper, 2g oregano, and the lemon zest. Let it stand at room temperature for 45 minutes while you make the filling, or season it the night before and refrigerate it uncovered.

2. 2

   Soak the Caul

   Put the caul fat in a bowl of lukewarm water with the vinegar for 20 minutes. Rinse it gently, then keep it in fresh cold water until you need it. It should open like a pale net. Tear it and you'll curse quietly, which is normal, but try not to.

3. 3

   Start the Filling

   Warm 50ml olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the dry onion and spring onions with 3g salt and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until sweet and glossy. Add the chopped liver and cook for 3 minutes, just until it loses its raw color. Stir in the greens and cook until they collapse and their water has mostly evaporated.

4. 4

   Half-Cook the Rice

   Stir the rice into the greens and liver so every grain is coated. Add 250ml hot water or broth and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, until the rice has swollen a little but still has a hard center. Take the pan off the heat and let the filling cool for 15 minutes, then fold in the dill, mint, fennel, and graviera. The filling should be damp, not soupy.

5. 5

   Stuff and Sew

   Heat the oven to 160C. Spoon the filling loosely into the pocket, filling it no more than two-thirds full, because the rice will swell in the oven. Sew the opening with a kitchen needle and twine, or close it well with skewers and twine. A tight stuffing splits the meat and wastes the good juices. Give it room.

6. 6

   Wrap in Caul

   Drain the caul and spread it on the work surface. Set the stuffed lamb on top and wrap the caul around it, overlapping the edges underneath. This is the step that makes Patoudo Naxou itself: the caul melts slowly, basting the lean young meat and keeping the rice filling moist through the long bake. Without it, you still have stuffed lamb, but not quite this Naxos Easter dish.

   If the caul comes in small pieces, overlap them like phyllo sheets. They will shrink and render together in the pan.
7. 7

   Set the Pan

   Toss the potatoes with 40ml olive oil, the lemon juice, the remaining 6g salt, 1g oregano, and the crushed garlic. Spread them in a large roasting pan and pour in 150ml hot water. Set the wrapped lamb on top, seam side down. Cover first with baking parchment, then tightly with foil or a lid.

8. 8

   Bake Slowly

   Bake for 3 hours at 160C. Uncover, spoon the pan juices over the meat and potatoes, and raise the heat to 190C. Bake for another 35 to 50 minutes, until the caul has rendered into a thin bronze skin, the potatoes are tender at the edges, and the center of the stuffing reaches at least 74C. That last number matters because the filling contains liver.

9. 9

   Rest and Serve

   Rest the Patoudo for 25 to 30 minutes before cutting the twine. Spoon the rice and greens onto a warm platter, carve the lamb in thick pieces, and pour the glossy pan juices over everything. Finish with a small thread of olive oil and a few torn fennel fronds if you have them. Serve with bitter greens, lemon, and a serious salad, because Easter meat asks for something sharp beside it.

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for lamb or kid caul fat when you order the meat. If they look blank, ask for skepi or bolia. Bacon is not the answer here. It brings smoke and salt that do not belong to Patoudo.
• •For the greens, use what spring gives you. Wild fennel, chard, spinach, sorrel, or clean bitter greens all work, as long as they are washed well and cooked down before they meet the rice.
• •Use Naxos graviera if you can. If you cannot find it, choose a firm Greek graviera or kefalotyri, not a sweet melting cheese. Λίγα και καλά, a few things, and good ones.
• •The stuffing can taste slightly salty before baking. The rice will absorb meat juices and potato liquid, so a timid filling becomes flat after four hours in the oven.
• •Patoudo is rich because it comes after fasting. Put boiled horta, lemon, and a sharp village salad on the table, and let the roast be the roast.

Advance Preparation

• •Order the lamb or kid and caul fat 2 to 3 days ahead, and ask the butcher to cut the stuffing pocket.
• •Season the meat up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate it uncovered, then bring it out 1 hour before stuffing.
• •The filling can be cooked 1 day ahead and chilled. Fold in the graviera after the filling cools, then stuff the meat on the day you bake.
• •The caul can be rinsed and kept submerged in cold water in the refrigerator overnight.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 475g)