Braised 4-Hour Lamb & Provencal French Beans

7 hour lamb is a French traditional recipe of a leg of lamb, slowly roasted for hours, with plenty of garlic and herbs until it's so tender that you could cut it with a spoon. This recipe has cut the time of slow-braising a leg of lamb to 4-hours, without sacrificing tenderness and there is plenty of flavor. The dish is served with Provencal French beans around the finished lamb and makes a beautiful presentation. While this is a perfect fall recipe, it's a great alternative for Easter dinner.

Course main

Cuisine French

Keyword 7-Hour Lamb, Braised Leg of Lamb

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 4

Total Time 4 45

Servings

Calories 649kcal

Author Debby - www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Ingredients

6-7 pound leg of lamb (see note)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 750-ml bottle dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock or water
2 heads garlic broken apart but not peeled
15 large sprigs fresh rosemary
15 large sprigs fresh thyme
1 onion peeled and cut in half (my adaptation, to add more flavor to the broth)
6 bay leaves

BEANS:

14 ounces dried Great Northern beans
1 quart homemade chicken stock or canned broth
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 cup good olive oil
2 cups yellow onions chopped
1 cup carrots diced
1 cup celery diced
1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped, plus extra for garnish
1 tablespoon garlic minced
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary minced
2 tablespoons fresh thyme minced
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Rub the lamb all over with olive oil and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat a very large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until its hot. Add the lamb and sear on all sides for about 12 minutes, until its browned all over. Remove the lamb to a plate.
Add the wine and 2 cups of water to the pan and cook for a minute or two, scraping up all the brown bits in the bottom. Add the garlic, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves and the lamb on top. Place the lid on the pot and bake in the oven for 4 hours, basting occasionally. (If you don't have a lid, you can cover it tightly with 2 layers of aluminum foil.)
After 4 hours, the lamb should be incredibly tender and falling off the bone. Remove the lamb to a plate, cover it tightly with foil and allow it to rest. Strain the sauce into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes to reduce.
The lamb will be too tender to slice; serve it warm with spoons and the sauce.
Note:
Before you buy the lamb, measure the diameter of your pot. If the lamb is longer than your pot, ask the butcher to cut off the shank end of the lamb and cook both pieces together in the same pot.

Beans:

Place the beans in a bowl and cover with water. Soak in the refrigerator overnight.
Drain the beans, place in a large saucepan with the chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes*, until tender but not mushy. Add 1 tablespoon of salt for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Drain, reserving the stock.
Note:
I found that I needed to cook the beans for 1 1/2 hours, because they were a little too firm for my own personal liking. Adjust cooking time to your own personal taste.
In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil, then add the onions, diced carrots, and celery, and cook over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until tender. Add the parsley, garlic, rosemary, and thyme and cook for 1 more minute.
Add the beans and 2 cups of the cooking stock. (If you dont have enough liquid, add additional stock or water to make 2 cups.) Cook for 15 minutes until the stock makes a little sauce, adding more stock if necessary.
Finish with the Parmesan cheese. Serve with a garnish of chopped parsley.

Notes

Recipe source: Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa

At first, I didn't think the beans had a lot of flavor until I added the Parmesan cheese. That did the trick!

Nutrition