Greek Main Courses
Mastelo Sifnou Recipe (Sifnos Lamb Baked in Wine and Dill)
Μαστέλο Σίφνου mah-STEH-loh SEEF-noo · Mastelo Sifnou
In short
Mastelo is a Sifnos specialty of lamb or goat baked slowly in red wine and dill inside a traditional shallow clay pot of the same name, until the meat is completely tender and the wine has reduced into a rich, herb-scented sauce. It is the island's traditional Easter Sunday dish.
Sifnos, a small Cycladic island long associated with excellent clay pottery, gives its name to both the dish and the vessel it is traditionally cooked in: a shallow, wide clay pot called a mastelo. Lamb, red wine and a generous amount of fresh dill go in together and the whole thing bakes low and slow until the meat is completely tender and the wine has cooked down into a deep, herbaceous sauce.
This is a genuinely simple dish in terms of ingredients, closer to three or four components than an elaborate list, and its whole character depends on real baking time rather than any complicated technique. It is traditionally the centrepiece of Easter Sunday on Sifnos, following the same fasting-then-feasting rhythm as the rest of Greece.
A genuine clay mastelo pot, if you can find one, distributes heat more gently than metal and is worth using if available, though a heavy lidded casserole gets you most of the way to the same result.
Key preparation steps
- Layer lamb chunks with a generous amount of fresh dill.
- Pour over red wine, enough to come partway up the meat.
- Cover tightly and bake low and slow for several hours.
- Rest briefly before serving, spooning over the reduced sauce.
The clay pot, or a substitute
A genuine mastelo is a shallow, wide, unglazed clay dish specific to Sifnos, and its thick walls distribute heat gently and evenly over a long bake, which suits this dish's slow, unhurried cooking time. A heavy, tightly lidded casserole dish is the sensible substitute if a genuine mastelo is not available, and gives a very good result.
Dill in real quantity
This dish uses a genuinely large amount of fresh dill, closer to a full bunch than a small handful, layered through the meat rather than simply sprinkled on top. It is meant to properly perfume both the meat and the wine sauce, not sit in the background as a garnish.
The long, low bake
Season the lamb, layer it with the dill in the pot, and pour over red wine, enough to come roughly halfway up the meat rather than fully submerging it. Cover tightly and bake at a low temperature for two and a half hours or more, until the meat is completely tender and pulls apart easily.
The wine reduces and thickens as it bakes, concentrating with the meat's own juices into a rich sauce, and the dish is ready when this sauce coats the meat generously rather than sitting thin and watery around it.
Tips from my kitchen
Use a properly generous amount of dill
This dish is built around it. A small handful will not give the same depth of flavour as a real bunch.
Cover the pot tightly
This traps the steam that keeps the meat moist over the long bake and helps the sauce concentrate properly.
Do not fully submerge the meat in wine
Roughly halfway up is right. Too much liquid dilutes the final sauce rather than letting it reduce and concentrate.
Mastelo Sifnou Recipe (Sifnos Lamb Baked in Wine and Dill)
Μαστέλο Σίφνου · by Kalliopi Andreou · updated 2026-07-31
- Prep
- 20m
- Cook
- 2h 30m
- Total
- 2h 50m
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 160C fan 140C.
- Season the lamb chunks generously with salt and pepper.
- Toss the lamb with the olive oil and half the chopped dill in a heavy, lidded casserole or clay mastelo.
- Scatter over the remaining dill, then pour in the red wine, enough to come roughly halfway up the meat.
- Cover tightly and bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the lamb is completely tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened.
- Rest for 10 minutes before serving, spooning the reduced wine sauce generously over the meat.
Nutrition, per 1 portion
- Calories
- 486
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 3 g
- Fat
- 32 g
- Sat fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
These figures are calculated estimates based on the ingredients listed, not laboratory analysis. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion size.
Frequently asked questions about Mastelo Sifnou
What is a mastelo?
A shallow, wide, traditional clay cooking pot specific to the Cycladic island of Sifnos, which also lends its name to this dish. A heavy lidded casserole is a good substitute if a genuine one is not available.
When is mastelo traditionally eaten?
It is the traditional centrepiece of Easter Sunday on Sifnos, following the long Lenten fast, though it is made on other occasions too.
Can you make mastelo with goat instead of lamb?
Yes, goat is a traditional alternative in many island households and follows the same method, though it may need slightly longer to become fully tender.
