Seven Hours Lamb

Directions

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 250°F. Mix the white wine, brandy, tomato puree and 1 cup of water. Peel 10 garlic cloves and cut them in half lengthways. Pierce the lamb 20 times with a small, sharp knife and press a piece of garlic into each hole. Press a little butter into each hole and and spread the oil all over the lamb. Put the lamb in a roasting pan and arrange the carrots and onions around it. Pour in the wine and brandy mixture and cook for 7 hours, basting occasionally and adding some water from time to time.
2. 2
   Cut 2 heads of garlic in half crosswise and brush each half with oil. Put the garlic together again, wrap it in aluminium foil and cook it for about 3 hours with the leg of lamb.
3. 3
   Remove the lamb and garlic from the oven, put them on a plate and put them back in the switched-off oven to keep warm.
4. 4
   Pour the meat juices and vegetables into a pot with 1 cup of water and puree the mixture. Top it off with about 4 cups with water, bring to the boil, thicken it with cornstarch, add the sugar and season to taste.
5. 5
   Cook the frozen beans in boiling salted water for about 5 minutes, then drain them in a colander. Put them back in the pot with 2 oz of butter and them gently. Serve the lamb on a platter with a little sauce, the garlic halves and the beans, with some bread on the side.