Rôti d’agneau aux 2 haricots

Roast lamb with two kinds of beans

1 small lamb roast (500 g. or 1 pound)
1 clove garlic
1 sprig rosemary
25o g. or 1/2 pound fresh green beans
250 g. or 1/2 pound fresh fava beans or haricots cocos
2 tsp. coarse sea salt or kosher salt
3 tsp. olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Peel and halve the garlic clove. Cut lengthwise into thin slices. Plunge a sharp knife into the lamb at various intervals, inserting a garlic slice into each incision. Place the rosemary sprig on top, tucking it under the string if your roast is tied. Coat the roast with 1 tsp. of the olive oil. I find using my hands to spread the olive oil around the roast gives best results. Place the roast in an oiled roasting pan. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 7 / 450 degrees / hot.

While the oven is heating, precook the beans. Snip the ends off the green beans. Shell the fava or coco beans. Fill a medium-sized saucepan with water — it should be about halfway full. Add the sea salt and bring to a boil. Add the fava or coco beans and cook 5 minutes or until just tender. Drain into a sieve or colander. Repeat with the green beans. Set aside.

Place the lamb in the preheated oven and roast for 25-30 minutes, depending on how rare you like it. 5 minutes before the lamb is done, reheat the beans in a steamer if you have one, otherwise in 1 cm (1/2 inch) boiling water (and in this case, drain again before serving). Remove the lamb and check for doneness by inserting a sharp knife. When the meat is done, allow it to sit for a minute, then slice, season with salt and pepper, place in a serving dish and drizzle with the roasting juices. Place the warm beans in a bowl, drizzle with the remaining 2 tsp. of olive oil, season with salt and pepper.

Serve accompanied by a fruity or hearty red wine according to your taste. We had a Chinon from the Loire Valley, but a Bordeaux, Beaujolais or Rhone wine would have been equally delicious. Serves 3-4.