I love big, glossy cook books with stories as well as recipes.
There was a series a few years (decades) ago called ‘The Beautiful Cookbook’.
They were coffee table books, big & expensive. I bought the ones for France, Italy, & Spain. They’re filled with gorgeous photos, interesting food stories, and traditional recipes.
I still love looking at them and still use the recipes.
This is from France, The Beautiful Cookbook, slightly modified for us, of course.
Click here to Pin Roast Lamb, Breton-Style
PrintRoast Lamb, Breton-Style
I love beans or lentils with lamb. These are simmered with sage and rosemary, then stirred into the pan juices from the roasted lamb.
I used a partially boned saddle of lamb that weighed 28oz (850gr).
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Lamb
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
- lamb for roasting – leg, shoulder, saddle 28oz (850gr)
- 2 tsp dried rosemary
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled, slivered – about 20 slivers
- Beans:
- 19oz (600gr) cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained
- 1 leek, trimmed, sliced
- 1 carrot, trimmed, chopped
- 1 rib celery, trimmed, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tbs dried sage
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 15oz (450gr) whole tomatoes, chopped, drained, juices for another use
- 2 tbs white wine
- 2 tbs chicken broth
- Potatoes:
- 4 potatoes, about 30oz total (600gr), thinly sliced
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs butter
Instructions
- Lamb:
- Make slits all over the lamb with the point of a sharp knife.
- Insert a sliver of garlic into each slit.
- Sprinkle with rosemary.
- Place the lamb in a roasting pan just large enough to hold it easily.
- Roast in 450F (230C) oven for 20 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 400F (200C) and roast for another 15 minutes per pound (500gr), or until done to your liking.
- If the pan juices start to burn add a couple of tbs of hot water.
- Use a meat thermometer, if you have one and roast to 130F (54C) for rosy, or cut and peak.
- When done, remove the lamb, cover loosely with foil and let rest.
- Add beans and broth to pan, scraping and stirring with a spatula to get all the browned bits
- When you turn the oven down:
- Beans:
- Heat oil in medium skillet.
- Add leeks, celery, carrot and garlic and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add herbs, tomatoes, and beans.
- Cover reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes or until carrots are tender.
- Potatoes:
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the potatoes, arranging in layers.
- Drizzle the oil over the top.
- Allow to cook for 15 minutes (Reduce heat further if they start to get too brown). With a spatula turn in sections – don’t worry about being neat.
- Continue to cook for another 10 – 15 minutes, until potatoes are done and nicely golden.
- Remove, add salt and pepper if you feel so inclined, and serve.
- To Serve: Spoon beans onto a platter.
- Slice lamb, arrange next to beans with the potatoes along the side.
Notes
You could use a small leg of lamb or a shoulder for this.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 recipe
- Calories: 704
- Sugar: 7.8 g
- Sodium: 755.7 mg
- Fat: 23.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 69 g
- Fiber: 14.5 g
- Protein: 54.5 g
- Cholesterol: 139 mg
Keywords: lamb, white beans, potatoes

We also love Leg of Lamb, Slow-Roast, Moroccan-Style
That’s the longest recipe I’ve posted in awhile.
I think I’ll just leave it here….
I could tell you why it works and why you’ll like it and why I made it and all that.
Naw… I’ll leave it.
No explanations needed, looks amazing, can nearly smell it from here….just delicious !
3 of my favorite foods on 1 plate !
I can tell you, I started drooling the minute I saw this. Sometimes, I wish hubs traveled for work so I could make this and just enjoy it for me. To heck with him.
You could make this for yourself, and fry him a hamburger….
I could do that! 🙂 I went to a place near us, in Milford, MI, called Black Label Tavern for dinner last night. It was St. Patrick’s day here so of course, they were having a celebration day. I had fabulous Shepard’s Pie. Traditional with ground lamb. I couldn’t stop eating it, but I managed to bring a little home and did let him taste it. He thought it was great. It was after that I told him it was lamb. I wish I’d gotten a picture. Maybe he’ll start eating it now…
Ooh – a proper Shepherd’s Pie – sounds wonderful. Maybe you can slowly make him a convert. My mother refused to cook or eat lamb so I didn’t eat it until I was married. He converted me lol