More often than not, Orthodox Easter does not coincide with Western Easter. This year they fall one week apart, which means that my family will be celebrating Easter twice! Even though the circumstances are different this year, this coming Sunday we will still celebrate Orthodox Easter, the biggest religious holiday of the year for Greeks (and other Orthodox Christians) around the world.
Lamb dishes, in their many variations, are always present on the Greek Easter table and really throughout the spring. The recipe I am sharing with you today is a traditional Greek dish called lamb fricassée with avgolemono and comes from our dear friend Jason, an excellent cook. He gave me this recipe a few years back when I asked him to share favorite recipes. This dish is also something that my mom used to make when I was young, so it brought back many wonderful memories. I was so excited finally to have a recipe for it as my mom, like many Greek mothers, never wrote down detailed recipes–it was all from memory!
Lamb fricassée with avgolemono (αρνάκι φρικασέ) is a Greek-style lamb braised with lots of greens and finished with the traditional egg-lemon (avgolemono) sauce. The dish utilizes ingredients that are growing at this time of the year, during the spring, and it is surprisingly light and extremely flavorful. Tender pieces of leg of lamb (bone-in or without the bone) are braised slowly with sweet leeks, mild spring onions, and aromatic fresh dill before the dish is finished off with the tangy/creamy avgolemono sauce.
The many greens that make this dish delicious!
Among the greens that are part of this dish are crispy lettuce hearts, a surprise ingredient that imparts sweetness to the dish. If you prefer, however, you can also use spinach, mustard greens, or, any combination of other spring greens. After the slow braising of the lamb, it literally falls apart and the flavors of all the greens all meld so well. At the end, a creamy avgolemono sauce brings the whole dish together.
What to Serve with Lamb Fricassee
Even though delicious on its own, I like to serve the lamb fricassée with some fluffy pilaf rice on the side. You will need, of course, some hearty bread to sop up all the delicious avgolemono sauce. I hope that you give this lovely recipe a try sometime this spring; I know that you will be surprised by the delicate, fresh flavors in this traditional Greek lamp dish. It was a huge hit with my family! Thank you very much, Jason, for the lovely recipe!
- 3 lbs. of boneless leg of lamb
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium leek, sliced
- 10 scallions, chopped
- 3 stalks of celery, with their leaves, chopped
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 2 heads of lettuce, (Little Gem or Romaine), coarsely chopped
- a bunch of fresh dill, chopped
- For the Avgolemono Sauce:
- 3 medium eggs, separated
- --- juice of 2 medium lemons
- 1 Tbsp. cold water
- ½ tsp. corn flour
- Trim most of the visible fat from the lamb then cut the meat into 1½” - 2” chunks. Pat down the lamb to remove any excess moisture then brown it on all sides over medium-high heat in the olive oil in a large Dutch oven.
- Add the leeks, onions, and celery to the pot and sauté until the vegetables soften. Add the chicken stock to cover the mixture and season it generously with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 40 minutes.
- Mince the dill, reserving some for garnish. Chop the lettuce and add it to the pot, along with the dill. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or, until the lamb is fork-tender and a small amount of liquid (about a cup or so) remains in the pot. Turn off the heat.
- Prepare the egg-lemon (avgolemono) sauce. In a small bowl whisk the egg whites with the teaspoon of cold water and a little corn flour until very frothy. Whisk in the egg yolks and lemon juice (start with only one lemon if you do not like the acidity of the lemon too much). Temper the avgolemono sauce by slowly adding one ladleful of the hot liquid from the pot to the small bowl with the eggs, while whisking the whole time. Continue with a second ladleful of the hot liquid and whisk again. Now add the avgolemono to the pot and stir gently to incorporate. Shake the pot a few times to make sure everything is thoroughly mixed together.
- If you need to reheat the lamb fricassée before serving, do so very gently, making sure the stew does not come to a boil. Place on a serving platter, topped with the reserved minced dill, a drizzle of olive oil and a few wedges of lemon. Good, crusty bread is a must and a Greek salad on the side is always a good idea.
A few Greek Easter recipe favorites that I will be revisiting this year!
Steamed Asparagus and Deviled Eggs
Roasted Leg of Lamb with Lemon-Garlic Potatoes
Filo Millefeuille with Almond Pastry Cream
Wishing all my Greek friends, Καλό Πάσχα και Καλή Ανάσταση!
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That looks so good!
Thank you Kathy! It is truly delicious! ⭐️
One of the absolute best recipes on this outstanding blog! The lamb is tender and gets unexpected sweetness from the leek and the lettuce. Great!
Thank you so much for takin the time to leave your comment. I am so glad you liked this spring recipe!
Your “Greek Lamb Fricasse” says 1/2 —of what 1/2 cup, 1/2 tablespoon. Help.
Hi Kevin,
It is 1/2 cup of olive oil, I just added that! Thanks for letting me know!
Love this recipe! Reminds me of my childhood when my Yiayia would make this. I like the flavor balance, not too much lemon which can overpower the delicate flavors.
Thank you so much Suzanne! This is really a great recipe, my whole family enjoys it!
Amazing recipe thank you After the first bite the first thought was yep this will be on a regular rotation.
Thank you so much for sharing your comment! It makes me so happy to know that you liked this recipe so much that it will now be on a regular rotation!
Dear Marilena,
Your lamb fricassee with avgolemono recipe was a hit! My wife and I had never made this before, and your recipe was very easy to follow – and more importantly, our guests thoroughly enjoyed it. Traditional, yet gourmet, and extremely flavorful and balanced. Will definitely do this again for a special evening with friends – and Greek Orthodox Bishops and Priests!
God bless you!
That’s wonderful, thank you so much for letting me know that you enjoyed it!
This traditional Greek recipe is such a favorite in my family too and we make it often, especially around Orthodox Easter!
Marilena. This is now our annual Easter dinner. So easy, delicious and memorable. Our absolute favorite for special family dinners.
This makes me so happy to know, Suzanne! We have Jason to thank for this recipe and I am so thankful that he shared it with me. We make it often too, tender lamb and loads of spring greens, so comforting and delicious! 🙂