Slow Roasted Leg of lamb with white bean purée
Ultra tender, Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb paired with velvety White Bean Purée. An exquisite combination of succulent meat and creamy beans awaits.
Whilst there’s a few steps to this dish, it’s super easy to follow. All you need is 6-7 hours of roasting time. Most of the cooking time is ‘set and forget’.
Serves: 6-8
Prep Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 4 hours
Ingredients
- 1 leg lamb
- 20 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
- Fresh thyme sprigs
- Fresh sage leaves
- 750ml dry white wine
- 2 cups water
- 5 fresh or dried bay leaves
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
For White Bean Purée:
- 2 cups dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- Fresh thyme
- Fresh parsley
- Fresh bay leaves
- 10 whole cloves
- 1 large onion, halved
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp. crème fraîche
Notes on planning ahead
The night before your want to roast the lamb, place the dried beans in water to soak.
However, if you forget to soak, simply use three cans of cannellini beans instead!
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the Oven
Preheat the oven to 150°C.
Step 2: Brown the lamb
Rub lamb with oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
Heat a dutch oven or frying pan on the stove on medium-high heat, add a splash of oil to the pan, and brown the lamb on all sides.
We only want to seal the meat at this stage, so don’t overcook.
Transfer lamb to a plate.
Step 3: Prepare the pan for roasting
Deglaze the dutch oven with some of the white wine.
In a large roasting pan, place the garlic and herbs evenly across the bottom of the pan, then place the lamb on top of the bed of garlic and herbs.
Add pan juices from Dutch oven and the additional wine and water.
Cover lamb with baking paper and foil. Make sure you create a seal to keep the moisture locked in.
Transfer to oven and roast.
Step 4: Roasting PART 1: To baste, or not to baste
If you have time, baste the lamb every 30 minutes.
This will create a beautiful rich layer of flavour across the lamb.
However, it’s definitely not essential. If you’d prefer to get on with your day, leave the lamb covered and let it roast for 3 1/2 hours.
Step 5: Roasting PART 2: Uncovered basting
After 3 1/2 hours, remover foil and baking paper and flip the lamb over in the pan.
Continue to cook, this time basting frequently (every half and hour), until lamb is very tender. Roast for another 3–3 1⁄2 more hours.
Step 6: Prepare the beans
1 1⁄2 hours before the lamb is done, drain beans pre-soaked beans and transfer to a saucepan.
Add 6 cups water, 4 cloves garlic, and the herb bundle to the saucepan.
Push the cloves into the onion. This will make it easier to retrieve the cloves after cooking.
Add the cloved onions to the pot.
Bring to a boil then quickly reduce heat to low.
Cover and simmer until beans are tender- about 1 hour.
Remove pot from heat and season with salt and pepper. Discard herbs and strain beans, reserving cooking liquid.
Step 7: Purée the beans
Transfer 2 cups beans, 1⁄4 cup cooking liquid, oil, crème fraîche, and remaining garlic clove to a blender and purée.
Stir puréed bean mixture and about 1 cup of the cooking liquid back into pot and cover to keep warm until lamb is cooked.
Step 8: Rest and Carve the Lamb
Once the lamb is cooked, remove it from the oven, cover again and let it rest for about 20 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute, resulting in tender and juicy meat.
Carve the lamb into slices or chunks, as per your preference.
Step 9: Serve and Enjoy
Delicately place the succulent lamb on top of a bed of bean puree.
Serve it alongside traditional Greek sides such as lemon roasted potatoes, tzatziki sauce, pita bread, and a fresh Greek salad.