Vermouth-Braised Lamb for Joann

• 1bone-in leg of lamb (4 to 5 pounds/1.8 to 2.3 kg), trimmed
• 5garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
•  Fine sea salt
•  Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup[60 ml] extra-virgin olive oil
• 2pounds [910 g] new potatoes, cleaned and halved
• 8 oz[230 g] shallots (8 to 10), peeled and halved
• 2 tbspgrainy mustard
• 2 cups[480 ml] dry vermouth, dry white wine, or fino sherry
• 8 sprigsfresh thyme
• 4 sprigsfresh rosemary
• 4 sprigsfresh tarragon, if desired
• 2bay leaves

Preparation

1. 1.

   Preheat the oven to 300°F [150°C] and pat the lamb dry with paper towels.

2. 2.

   Use a sharp paring knife to cut slits all over the lamb, each about 1 1/2 inches [4 cm] deep. Use your finger to press a slice of garlic into each incision (you should use about 2 of the garlic cloves). Season the lamb generously with salt and pepper.

3. 3.

   Add the oil to a large Dutch oven or heavy ovenproof pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the lamb and sear until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and transfer the lamb to a large plate; set aside.

4. 4.

   Add the potatoes to the pot, as many cut-sides down as possible, and season with salt and pepper. Return to heat and cook, without stirring, until the potatoes are golden on the cut sides, about 10 minutes. Add the shallots and stir together, cooking for 5 minutes more. Stir in the remaining garlic, the mustard, vermouth, thyme sprigs, rosemary sprigs, tarragon (if using), and bay leaves, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

5. 5.

   Return the lamb leg to the Dutch oven, cover, and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 1/2 hours, then remove the lid and continue to cook, using a spoon to baste the lamb with the pan juices occasionally, until the lamb is golden on top and the meat is very tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours more. Remove from the oven, cover, and set aside to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

6. 6.

   NoteOne of Richard Olney’s many very excellent recipes calls for cooks to toss the garlic slices in a mixture of finely chopped herbs before inserting them into cuts of meat. He wrote that into a recipe for daube, but doing that here is awesome too, if a bit more time intensive. Joann has had and loved this recipe both ways, so take it or leave it as you please.