Dan's Churchill's Fall-Off-The-Bone Lamb

Growing up, whenever my mum cooked lamb, the rest of us would be licking our lips in anticipation.

For a meal that’s nourishing, warming and meaty, lamb’s the bomb. But Mum never prepared this dish, which takes the roast to the next level.

There’s nothing better than seeing the lamb falling apart on top of those rich, nourishing butter beans. Once it’s in the middle of the table and people are using their forks to pick it off the bone by applying just a hint of pressure, you know the wait’s been worth it.

Kitchen Coach
The author of Dude Food and The Healthy Cook, Dan Churchill is now the Food Guy for MH. In this regular series he'll show you how to prepare classic dishes to satisfy the heartiest appetites

ADVERTISEMENT

You Will Need
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 leg of lamb
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 3 sprigs of rosemary
• 2 onions, sliced
• ½ a leek, thinly sliced
• 4 cans of butter beans
• 1 bunch of fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ bunch of fresh coriander
• ½ bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 250ml chicken stock
• Salt and pepper

Cooked On Classics
Six steps to lamb that melts in your mouth

1. Preheat oven to 140°C.

2. Slice up three garlic cloves, stab the lamb leg several times with a sharp blade and stuff the holes with the garlic and rosemary leaves. Drizzle with a good amount of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place on a rack in the top section of the oven. Place a roasting tray beneath, allowing the juice to be collected. Cook for 6-8 hours or until the lamb pulls away from the bone.

Cover and set aside.

ADVERTISEMENT

3. With an hour left of the lamb’s cooking time, add one tablespoon of oil to a frying pan on high heat.

4. Brown the leek, onion and three remaining garlic cloves in the oil. Meanwhile, tie the thyme, coriander, bay leaf and parsley together and set aside.

5. Once the onion mixture is golden brown, add the butter beans, bury the tied bunch of herbs and pour in the chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper and, if you feel like you've earned it, add to the reserved juices from the lamb; otherwise, place in a clean roasting tray and cook for 30-40 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

6. Remove herb bunch and portion out beans with pulled-apart meat.

May I suggest . . .
Pairing your lamb and butter beans with a chilled rosé.

MORE: What to cook after a night on the sauce