Lamb Confit with Bean

by Ed Baines
from Good Food Live

This tasty one-pot French lamb and bean dish is very simple to cook and makes a hearty meal.

Servings: 6
Level of difficulty: Easy
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients
Lamb Confit with Bean Cassoulet
1 head of garlic
6 tbsp Olive oil
1.25kg lamb off the bone, (bones reserved)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 Carrots , halved lengthwise then sliced across
1 small red chilli
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
350ml Red wine
4 fresh rosemary sprigs
1 bay leaf
2 x 400g tinned plum tomatoes in juice, drained
100g Puy lentils
215g tin of cannellini beans, drained
1 215g tin borlotti beans, drained
1 215g tin butter beans, drained
1.25 litres lamb stock
1 tsp English mustard
grated zest and juice of one lemon
half a teaspoon Sugar
salt and fresh ground black pepper

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 150ºC/Gas 2. Peel off any loose papery skin from the head of garlic.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large casserole dish. Add in the lamb, skin side down, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn over and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove the lamb and set aside.

3. Add the onion, carrot and chilli to the casserole dish and cook gently for 10 minutes.

4. Add in the whole garlic head, balsamic vinegar, red wine, rosemary and bay leaf. Cook over a medium heat until the liquid has reduced by half.

5. Add in the drained tomatoes and cook until reduced again by half. Add in the lentils, cannellini, borlotti and butter beans. Stir and add in the stock, mustard and reserved lamb bones.

6. Bring to the boil. Return the lamb to the casserole. Add in lemon zest and juice, sugar and salt and freshly ground pepper.

7. Cover and bake for 2 hours.

8. Lift out the lamb and set aside. Remove the bones and discard them. On the stove top gently heat the casserole.

9. Slice the lamb into strips and return to the casserole. Stir well and serve.