7 Hour Lamb
There are many versions of this in France, a classic dish that is often served on Easter Sunday. This is my “Lots to do today+Dinner party+No time to slave away in the kitchen” version. You will impress your guests as they dig in with a spoon and they will think you did spend your day cooking!
Ingredients
1 leg of lamb
Keep the bone in but have just enough cut off so that it fits in your dutch oven. Oval ones work best.
10 garlic cloves
6 tomatoes
3-4 onions
1- 1/2 cups of beef bouillon
Beer or red wine to cover leg of lamb
I use a Belgian Abbey beer, Leffe Blond
Herbes de provence
(savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, oregano)
Espelette pepper (Basque chili pepper)
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Brown well the leg of lamb on both sides in the dutch oven with a little oil or butter. Throw in whole garlic cloves and let them brown a little.
- Cut onions into 6-8 parts and brown in another frying pan.
- Cut tomatoes into 4ths then add the onions and tomatoes to the lamb.
- Add herbes, peppers, beef bouillon and then add beer or wine to just barely cover the lamb.
- Bring this to a simmer and keep it at a very low simmer for 7 hours.
- Be careful not to let boil strongly as this will toughen the lamb.
- Half way through, carefully turn the leg over with 2 large spatulas or very large spoons.
- 30 minutes (or earlier) before you are ready to serve, if there is too much liquid in the pot, raise the heat to reduce this to a nice thick saucy consistence. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
- Carefully lift the lamb out, keeping it on one piece, and place into a serving plate, deep enough to hold the sauce and vegetables. Serve with large spoon.
- I serve this with couscous/semolina in a separate dish.
