This is a recipe that I had been thinking about for a while. The work is minimal and it is very delicious. I would use lamb shoulder next time as the only aspect about this dish with which we weren't happy was the texture. Despite using a very fatty organic leg of lamb free from trimming we ended up with meat that was a bit dry. I personally dislike dry meat, I know others don't mind it at all and to each their own but, again, I will try with a cut of meat with much more fat and connective tissue.

Seven Hour Leg of Lamb (Gigot de Sept Heures), recipe adapted from Saveur magazine

Ingredients:

Leg of lamb: 2 kilos

Extra-virgin olive oil: 3 tablespoons

Ground cumin: 2 tablespoons

Dry red or white wine: 1 bottle

Garlic: 20 cloves, unpeeled

Rosemary and sage: 20 sprigs each

Bay leaves: 5 fresh or dried

Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Heat oven to 150 degrees Celcius. Rub lamb with oil and season generously with cumin, salt and pepper. Heat a 6 litre capacity dutch oven over medium-high heat and add lamb turning occasionally until browned on all sides, about 12 minutes.

Scrape the browned bits from bottom of pot, add wine and nestle herbs and garlic around the lamb. Cover with foil or lid and transfer to oven and roast for 3.5 hours basting every 30 minutes. Uncover, flip lamb and roast for a further 3.5 hours basting frequently. Transfer lamb to a rack and let cool for 20 minutes before serving.