From his first cookbook, Memories of Gascony, Pierre Koffmann’s succulent lamb recipe will be the star of your Easter table.

Serves 8

• 50g duck fat
• 3kg leg of lamb
• 4 carrots (about 300g), roughly chopped
• 4 onions (about 500g), roughly chopped
• 1 small bouquet garni
• 1 bottle dry white wine
• 8 cloves garlic (about 100g), peeled and wrapped in muslin
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

1   Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/gas mark 3, heat the duck fat in a large flameproof casserole dish and seal the lamb until golden brown all over.

2   Take out the lamb, put in the carrots and sweat gently for 5 minutes, then add the onions and sweat for another 5 minutes. Add the bouquet garni and the lamb. Pour over the wine and boil for 3 minutes. Add 2 litres of water and the garlic, and season.

3   Cover the casserole dish and cook in the oven for 4 hours. Check every hour that the cooking stock still comes halfway up the lamb; add more water if necessary. After 4 hours, the meat should be as soft as butter. Remove it from the casserole dish with great care and place on a serving dish.

4   Pass the stock through a conical sieve. Remove the garlic from the muslin bag, crush it to a paste and stir it into the stock. Check the seasoning, pour over the lamb, and enjoy.