Gigot de Sept Heures

Lamb and braising ingredients

• 1 leg of lamb, 2.5–3 kg; butcher-boned except for the shank bone and larded with the pork fat
• 300 g pork fat, for larding the lamb
• 100 ml oil, for browning
• 300 g pork rind, in pieces
• 3 carrots, sliced into rounds
• 1 head of garlic, unpeeled, halved
• 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1–2 bay leaves
• 3 thyme sprigs
• 100 ml Cognac
• 500 ml water
• 2 tbsp (15 ml) tomato paste
• 2 tsp (5 ml) veal stock powder
• as needed dry white wine, to top up the cooking juices if needed
• as needed salt
• as needed black pepper
• as needed extra water, for the recessed casserole lid, or two glasses in a roasting tray if the lid is flat

Method

1. Ask the butcher to bone the leg, leaving the shank bone, and lard it with the pork fat. Heat the oven to 150°C / 302°F.
2. Brown the lamb on all sides in a little of the oil in the casserole; remove it. Lightly colour the carrots, remove them, then line the casserole base with the pork rind.
3. Return the lamb and carrots. Add bay, thyme, the halved garlic head, garlic cloves, Cognac, tomato paste and water with the stock powder dissolved in it. Season with salt and pepper. Close tightly. Put water in a recessed lid; if the lid is flat, put two glasses of water in a roasting tray in the oven.
4. Bake for 7 hours, checking regularly that cooking juices remain. Add dry white wine during cooking if needed.
5. Serve with white beans or oven-baked potatoes, as suggested by Larousse.