ARIS: So today we're going to make our signature dish, it's a lamb kleftiko.

SETH: Kleftiko a new one for me.

What does that mean?

ARIS: So the name kleftiko comes from the word kléftes, that means thieves.

So they used to steal goats or sheeps or lambs.

And the way they prepare the lamb was just digging a hole In the ground with the fire inside, put the meat inside, cover with the dirt so they avoid the smell and the smoke, and then leave it a couple of days and then come back and take out the meat.

SETH: All right, well, a dish named after some sheep and lamb thieves, that's pretty badass.

But you're going to be able to recreate that kind of underground cooking effect but using modern kitchen tools and techniques?

ARIS: Yeah.

Here we don't make holes in the ground.

So we cook the lamb neck sous-vide for 12 hours.

SETH: And so you said lamb neck?

ARIS: It's more tender, it's more flavor.

SETH: It's not a muscle that gets a lot of workout, so it's nice and fatty.

ARIS: Yeah, exactly.

SETH: All right, so how do you go about putting the dish together?

ARIS: So I'm going to take this lamb outside of the sous-vide bag.

SETH: All that wonderful brine there.

ARIS: Yeah.

Actually, it's juice from the lamb and the fat of the lamb.

You can see that it's falling apart just with a spoon.

SETH: Oh, coming right off the bone, wow.

ARIS: Yeah.

SETH: It's amazing to think this thing has more cooking left to do.

ARIS: Yeah.

So here we just have to remove the central bone from the neck and then we can remove also this one that's very tough.

SETH: I see a lot of nice fat, too, on this.

ARIS: Yeah.

So on this step, I'm going to use a blowtorch to give a nice caramelization on the outside.

SETH: Blowtorch?

All right.

Ho-ho!

Chef, I normally like to sit back and watch the chefs work their magic, but a blowtorch, this just looks like too much fun.

Can I try my hand at this?

ARIS: Oh, yeah, for sure.

Here you are.

SETH: All right.

Oh, boy.

There is some real power in this thing.

This is the fun part of the job, right?

ARIS: Yeah.

SETH: Almost too much power.

All right, I'm going to return the toy back to you.

ARIS: All right.

So needs a little bit more on this side.

All set.

SETH: All set.

I love that it's just bubbling away in the top there.

ARIS: Yeah.

So next, we're going to bring it inside the parchment paper.

So we're going to place the lamb over here.

On top, we're going to put a little bit of salt.

SETH: Nice quality salt.

ARIS: Yes, that's Maldon salt.

Going to put some roasted grape tomatoes, some roasted bell peppers.

So now we're going to add some Graviera cheese, is very similar with the Gruyère.

SETH: It'll have that nice little Gruyère melting ability, as well?

ARIS: Yeah.

SETH: Okay.

ARIS: So we're going to finish with some fresh oregano.

So we're going to use a little bit of the juice that we had from the sous-vide just to give an extra humidity when we put it in the oven, and finish it with a little bit of olive oil over here.

And then we are ready to wrap it.

SETH: So this is simulating cooking underground.

ARIS: Exactly.

So we grab those sides here.

Just with a string over here, make a nice... SETH: Oh, it's like a present.

ARIS: Yeah.

SETH: So what goes along...

Thank you.

So what goes along with the lamb?

ARIS: This one, we're going to serve with some sourdough pita bread.

SETH: Is this a special kind of Greek pita?

ARIS: It's a traditional Greek pita just we make it with sourdough yeast over here.

So you can see how fluffy are they.

SETH: This will be our utensil for the dish?

ARIS: Yes.

So now I think we are ready to cook.

So the next step is to take the lamb, put in the oven for around 15 to 20 minutes.

Then we're going to cook the sourdough pita bread over the flat top with some olive oil, give it a nice golden color and make it crispy.

And then we're going to sprinkle a little of chives and parsley leaves and a little bit of extra virgin olive oil on cup.

And then we're going to serve the lamb with some pickle onions, tzatziki, and crisp potatoes.

And then we're going to enjoy the lamb kleftiko together.

SETH: Chef, this is such a colorful spread.

So we're using the pita as our utensil here, right?

ARIS: Yeah.

You can use the pita as a utensil to make small sandwiches or you can just cut small pieces from the pita and enjoy it the way you want.

SETH: I think I'm going to start with some pure lamb here.

Is this just going to fall right apart?

ARIS: Yes, that's for sure.

SETH: All right.

Oh, so this is a pocketless pita?

ARIS: Yeah, yeah.

SETH: That's the Greek way.

ARIS: That's a Greek way.

SETH: Okay, let me try a little bit of this.

Sometimes there's just not much you can say.

The way all those flavors melded together in that parchment, and there's such a nice smokiness to the dish, as well.

I like to think my blowtorching had a little to do with how well that turned out.

ARIS: For sure.

SETH: But just incredible flavor on that lamb there.

And so what's your preferred bite?

ARIS: My preferred bite, I would go more on the traditional way so we can spread out a little tzatziki over here, take a little bit of the lamb.

SETH: Oh, the cheese, too, of course.

ARIS: Cheese, peppers, and the tomatoes.

SETH: So it's like making your own little souvlaki sandwich.

ARIS: Exactly.

And then you can just wrap it up to have a bite.