PREPARATION FOR EASTER SUNDAY – ROAST LEG OF LAMB WITH WHITE BEANS [GIGOT D’AGNEAU A LA BRETONNE]

 PREPARATION FOR EASTER SUNDAY –

ROAST LEG OF LAMB WITH WHITE BEANS
[GIGOT D’AGNEAU A LA BRETONNE]



From Anne Willan, “The Country Cooking of France,” Chronicle Books, (2007), at p. 153.
INGREDIENTS:
BEANS
2 cups white Kidney Beans
1 onion, studded with 4 cloves
1 bouquet garni, including 1 stalk of celery
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter/ 30g butter
2 onions finely chopped
2 or 3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
½ cup; 125 ml dry white wine
2-3 tablespoons chopped parsley
LAMB
1 2kg lag of lamb (on the bone)
2 garlic cloves
1 bunch fresh thyme
2 tablespoons/ 30 g butter
GRAVY
½ cup/ 125 ml dry white wine
1 ½ cups/ 375 ml beef stock or veal stock
Large roasting pan
METHOD
1 To cook the beans, cover with cold water and leave them to soak overnight. The next day, drain and put them in a large saucepan with the clove-studded onion, bouquet garni, and water to cover by at least 1 inch. Cover, bring to a boil, lower the heat to simmer and cook until very tender, 1 to 2 hours depending on the type and age of the beans. Add more hot water as it is absorbed to keep the beans covered in liquid, and season them with salt and pepper half-way through the cooking. At the end of cooking, they should be moist but not soupy. If they are sloppy, remove the lid 15 to 30 minutes before the end of cooking so the liquid evaporates. Discard the onion and the bouquet garni.
2 While the beans are simmering, cook the tomatoes. Melt the butter in a small sauté pan or deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until soft, but not browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, garlic and white wine and season with salt and pepper. Simmer over medium heat, stirring often, until nearly all the moisture has evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir the tomatoes into the cooked beans, taste and adjust for seasoning.
3 To roast the lamb, heat the oven to 230 degrees Celsius. Prepare the lamb by trimming off skin and all but a thin layer of fat. Cut one garlic clove into sticks and push the other into the lamb shank. Poke holes in the meat with the point of a small knife and insert the sticks of garlic with small sprigs of thyme. Set the leg in the roasting pan, top with butter, salt and pepper.
4 Sear the meat in a very hot oven until it starts to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Lower the heat to 190 degrees centigrade and continue roasting, basting often, for 40 to 50 minutes, or more if you prefer your lamb well done. Test by inserting a skewer in the thickest part of the meat; for pink lamb it should be warm to the touch when withdrawn after 30 seconds; hot if you prefer well done. If the pan juices start to scorch during roasting, add a little broth.
5 Transfer the lamb to a carving board, cover it loosely with aluminium foil and leave to rest while you make the gravy. Reheat the beans if necessary. Stir in the parsley.
6 For the Gravy: Discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the roasting pan, add the wine and bring to a boil on the stove top, stirring to dissolve the pan juices. Add the broth and continue boiling until the gravy is reduced and concentrated, 5 to 8 minutes. Strain into a small gravy boat/jug, taste and adjust the seasoning.
7 For serving, cut the lamb into thin slices or carve the meat at the table. Set the meat on a warmed large platter, spoon the beans around it, then spoon a little gravy over the meat and serve the rest separately.

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