8-hour leg of lamb confit with apricot & honey jam

• 1 leg of lamb (2 kg)
• 3 tablespoons apricot jam
• 2 tbsp.honey
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 10 cl chicken stock
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
• Salt & freshly ground pepper

Preparation (the day before or early in the morning)

Prepare the marinade

In a bowl, mix :

• Apricot jam 
• Honey 
• Old-fashioned mustard
• Olive oil
• Rosemary & thyme leaves
• Salt & pepper

Brush the leg generously with this mixture and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours (ideally overnight).

 Low-temperature cooking (8h at 120°C)

• Preheat oven to 120°C (traditional heat).
• Place the leg of lamb in a large cast-iron casserole or ovenproof dish.
• Add the whole garlic cloves (unpeeled) and chicken stock to prevent the meat from drying out.
• Allow to cool gently
• Cover the casserole (or line the dish with aluminum foil).
• Place in the oven for 8 hours of slow cooking.
• Baste the meat every 2 hours with its juices. If necessary, add a little stock. 
• 15 minutes before the end, remove the lid and raise the temperature to 200°C to lightly brown the leg. For even more flavor, brush with a final spoonful of apricot jam and leave to caramelize for a few minutes.

Serve with... 

• A smooth homemade purée

• Oven-roasted vegetables (carrots, potatoes, asparagus) 

• A good loaf of farmhouse bread to season the juice