Ingredients
One shoulder of lamb, central bone still in, about 1.5 kg (3 1/3 pounds)
Olive oil
2 to 3 tablespoons herbes de Provence (a mix of dried thyme, rosemary, basil, and marjoram)
Half a head of garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt, pepper
Preparation
Coat the meat lightly with olive oil and rub it with the herbs to cover all sides. Wrap tightly in plastic (or return to the butcher’s paper wrapper), and refrigerate for at least an hour, or overnight.
Remove the meat from the fridge half an hour before cooking. Preheat the oven to 120°C (250°F). Separate the garlic into individual cloves, but leave each clove in its own skin.
Place the meat in a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid – a cast-iron cocotte is ideal. Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper, place the garlic around it, and pour the wine into the pot. Cover and slip into the oven.
Cook for 4 hours, flipping the meat and basting it with its juices every hour or so. If the juices run a bit low – this may happen if the lid of your pot is not perfectly tight – pour in a little more wine or water. The meat is ready when it is dark brown and very tender. Serve with flageolet beans (recipe below).
Flageolets
- 300 grams (10.5 ounces) dried flageolets beans (substitute the smallest dried white beans you can find)
- Olive oil
- 2 onions, peeled and sliced
- Stock or 1 bouillon cube
- Salt, pepper
Serves 4 to 6.
Soak the beans overnight in twice their volume of water. Rinse and drain.
Heat a little olive oil in a medium heavy-bottomed pot. Add the beans and onions and cook for 15 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions are soft.
Pour in cold stock (or cold water plus one bouillon cube) to cover, bring to a simmer, and cook for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the beans are tender but still holding their shape. Season with salt 30 minutes into the cooking, and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper just before serving.
