Back for 2015 and a great deal of cooking has been done over the last few days.

After lacking cooking inspiration this year, I got talking to my local supermarket butcher last week who was able to call his people on the “docks” that were subsequently able to aquire unblemished lamb neck and lamb shoulder. These cheap cuts of meat are usually available on the island, however they are almost always processed into stewing meat prior to reaching the supermarket shelf. What a waste! They are so much better whole roasted on the bone.  This recipe of a lamb cassoulet utilizes just the neck.

The lamb is roasted for 4 hours and 40 minutes at 140 degrees Celsius in bath of white wine, garlic, onions, tomato, rosemary, thyme and salt/pepper.

The delicious gravy left over at the end is used to boil the beans for 2 hours or so.  The onions, tomatoes, and garlic are reserved and refrigerated overnight with the cooked lamb.

The lamb is chopped into bite sizes along with the remaining garnishes. The roast garlic is chopped and mixed into the beans. The cooking liquid (first the gravy from the roast lamb, then the remaining water from the beans) is poured into the casserole until it reaches the top.  More seasoning is added at this point.

The dish is topped with a healthy layer of panko breadcrumbs and parsley. Bake in the oven until your desired temperature is reached. It took around an hour for it to reach boiling.

I served this dish with asparagus and touch of freshly squeezed lime juice. Absolutely delicious. Great when you are having people over for dinner as it can be made a head of time.

Next: A very different way to serve lamb neck.