Croatian lamb peka

Why this dinner works

Most weeknight one-pot dinners ask you to choose between two evils: a five-ingredient bowl that tastes like the inside of a saucepan, or a recipe so layered it eats your entire evening. Croatian lamb peka sits comfortably in the middle. It draws on Croatian traditions where building flavor in stages — aromatics, then spice, then the slow swell of liquid into starch — is just how dinner gets made on a regular Tuesday.

The whole thing comes together in about 78 minutes in a single soup pot, which means dinner from idea to table is shorter than most podcast episodes. We've leaned on the everyday 13 ingredients listed below, but in the notes after the recipe you'll find the small swaps and shortcuts that make this dish forgiving when your fridge is half-empty.

Method

1. Step 1. Preheat oven to 200°C fan / 220°C / 425°F / Gas mark 7
2. Step 2. If you have not bought diced lamb, cut your lamb shoulder or leg into large chunks and place to one side.
3. Step 3. Chunks of chopped lamb of a red chopping board
4. Step 4. Make oil marinade -
5. Step 5. Mix 80ml of olive oil in a bowl with garlic puree, sundried tomato puree ,black pepper and salt.
6. Step 6. olive oil, gia sundried tomato puree and gia garlic puree and black pepper mixed together in a silver bowl to make Croatian peka
7. Step 7. Add potatoes and vegetables into a large lidded casserole dish.
8. Step 8. Chopped up vegetables which consist of chopped up red onion, courgette, potatoes red peppers in a cast iron pan
9. Step 9. Place diced lamb on top of the vegetables, pour the marinade and wine over the top.
10. Step 10. Chunks of lamb covered in in a sundried tomato oil sauce which is on top of chopped red onion, aubergine, courgette and potatoes in a cast iron pan
11. Step 11. Add the rosemary, thyme and sage, trying to keep the herbs on top.
12. Step 12. So you can easily remove the herb stalks once cooked.
13. Step 13. Chunks of lamb coated in a sundried tomato oil sauce and covered with thyme, rosemary and sage which is on top of chopped red onion, aubergine, courgette and potatoes in a cast iron pan
14. Step 14. Place lid on the casserole dish and cook for 1hr 30 minute
15. Step 15. If you do not have a lid cover very well with kitchen foil
16. Step 16. Cast iron dish with lid on in the oven
17. Step 17. Take the lid off, remove any thick herb stems. Stir in 2 tbsp of olive oil.
18. Step 18. Cook for a further 20-30 mins.
19. Step 19. Cooked Croatian Lamb Peka in a cast iron pan in the oven
20. Step 20. Serve with fresh homemade bread to dip into the juices.

Cook's notes

One pan, fewer dishes. Use the widest, heaviest soup pot you own with a tight-fitting lid. The wider base means faster browning at the start; the lid traps the gentle steam that finishes the dish without scorching the bottom.

Salt as you go. Season the aromatics, season the protein, season the liquid before it reduces. By the time you taste at the end, the only adjustment is usually acid — a squeeze of lemon, a splash of vinegar, a final crack of pepper.

Make it ahead. Like most one-pot dinners with croatian roots, the leftovers are arguably better the next day. Cool quickly, refrigerate within two hours, and reheat gently with a splash of water or stock to loosen things back up.

Pairings & serving

This one feels best in a 6-bowl spread with a sharp green salad and something cold to drink. If you want to stretch it for unexpected company, double the liquid and a single starchy ingredient — rice, pasta, potatoes, depending on the recipe — and the whole pan grows without much extra work.

Watch it cooked

If you're a visual learner, there's a free walkthrough of this dish on YouTube.

Original recipe inspiration: source.