roast leg of lamb with Broad Beans

Serves 8 This combination is one of my favourites. The mint really enhances the flavour of both the lamb and the broad beans, bringing a freshness to this dish. — 3kg leg of lamb — 3 tbsp olive oil — 2kg fresh broad beans in their pods, or 550g frozen beans — 1 carrot, 1 onion and 1 celery stalk, all roughly chopped — 2 cloves garlic, chopped — 1 tsp golden caster sugar,

plus an extra pinch — 1 tsp tomato purée — 4 tbsp white wine vinegar — 150ml dry white wine — sprig thyme or rosemary — 250ml lamb or chicken

stock — 50g butter — 1 tbsp chopped mint — buttered new potatoes, to

serve Preheat the oven to 150C/ gas mark 2. Rub the lamb with one tablespoon of the olive oil and season well. Place in a roasting dish with a lid and roast for three hours. Increase the temperature to 200C/gas mark 6 and roast for another hour, or until the meat has begun to break apart. Turn the oven off and leave the meat in to rest until needed – at least 20 minutes.

Meanwhile pod the beans (if using fresh ones) and cook in a pan of boiling water for five minutes. Refresh in cold water, then squeeze them out of their skins and set aside.

For the gravy, heat the remaining olive oil in a clean pan, add the carrot, onion, celery and garlic and brown gently for 10 minutes. Stir in one teaspoon of sugar and the tomato purée and let this brown too. Pour in three teaspoons of the vinegar and cook to reduce to a syrupy glaze. Tip in the wine, scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan and let bubble. Add the herb sprig and stock, simmer for 10 minutes, then strain and set aside.

Once the meat is resting, melt the butter in a pan, add a pinch of sugar, the mint, a good pinch of salt and the remaining wine vinegar. Bubble for one minute, then tip in the skinned beans along with 2-3 tablespoons water and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Reheat the gravy in a pan, spooning in some meat juices if desired, but be careful to skim off any excess fat. To serve, carve the lamb into thick slices and serve with the beans, gravy and new potatoes.