Épaule d'Agneau de 7 Heures

Method

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1. Heat the oven to 130°C / 265°F.

   Mark done

2. Rub the lamb with the oil, salt and pepper and brown it all over in a hot pan, 8 minutes.

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3. Lay the onions, carrots and garlic in a deep casserole and sit the lamb on top.

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4. Pour in the wine and stock — it should come no more than a third of the way up the meat — and tuck in the herbs.

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5. Cover with a sheet of baking paper pressed onto the meat and then the lid, or a double layer of foil crimped tightly.

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6. Cook 420 minutes without opening it, until the meat pulls away from the bone at a touch.

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7. Lift the lid, raise the oven to 220°C / 430°F and give it 12 minutes to colour the top. Skim the juices, scatter with parsley and serve with a spoon.

   Mark done

Chef’s Tips

• The full seven hours. At four it is merely well-done.
• Seal it tightly — the liquid should steam, not reduce.
• Twelve minutes at high heat at the end for colour.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.
• Vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock makes this meat-free without changing the method, if that is what you need.
• A dry vermouth keeps for longer than an open bottle of white wine and is the closer swap than a random white left in the fridge; for an alcohol-free version, use the same amount of stock with a squeeze of lemon.

Pairing Suggestions

• Boulangère potatoes
• Flageolet beans
• A glass of Languedoc red

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerated for 4 days and outstanding reheated. It freezes for 3 months.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.