Gigot d'Agneau à la Boulangère — Leg of Lamb Baked on Potatoes

Gigot à la boulangère ('baker's wife style') is one of the great French country roasts — a whole leg of lamb placed on a bed of thinly sliced potatoes and onions moistened with stock, the entire assembly roasted together so the potatoes absorb the lamb drippings and become rich, golden, and saturated with meat flavour. The name derives from the tradition of bringing the prepared dish to the village baker's oven (boulangerie) after the bread was done, using the residual falling heat of the wood-fired oven. The preparation: take a 2-2.5kg bone-in leg of lamb, stud with 12-15 slivers of garlic (insert into small incisions made with a paring knife, pushing the garlic 2cm deep into the flesh), and season aggressively with salt, pepper, and herbes de Provence. Thinly slice 1.5kg waxy potatoes (3mm, using a mandoline) and 3 large onions. Layer the potatoes and onions in a large roasting dish with thyme, bay, salt, and pepper, then pour over 400ml hot lamb or chicken stock — the liquid should reach just below the top layer of potatoes. Place the lamb directly on the potato bed. Roast at 220°C for 20 minutes, then reduce to 180°C for a further 60-70 minutes (25 minutes per 500g for rosé, 55-58°C at the thickest part of the leg). The lamb juices drip continuously into the potatoes below. Rest the lamb on a board for 20 minutes. Return the potato dish to the oven for 10 minutes at 220°C to crisp the top. The potatoes should be golden on top, creamy and lamb-flavoured beneath. Carve the leg at the table, serving thick slices with generous spoonfuls of boulangère potatoes.

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