Yup, the top edge of the pot is unglazed.

I got a Le Creuset second at TJMaxx. Little smear on the enamel of the lid. Works just fine. Your pot is definitely a keeper.

Here's one of my favorite cold weather recipes that would probably do great with your new pot:

There is a French bistro dish called "Gigot de sept heures"--yes, that's "Seven hour leg of lamb". I first ran across this in Anthony Bourdain's "Les Halles Cookbook". The first time I fixed it there were two teenagers in my house who claimed they didn't like lamb. Suffice it to say there were no leftovers. Bourdain makes the comment that when it's done, you should be able to cut it with a spoon.
Like all common recipes, there are variations: but it's basically a braise in a heavy casserole dish. I used a deep cast iron Dutch oven with a tight fitting lid, and it worked great. Season the lamb with slivers of garlic, sear it, add liquid and vegetables, cover the pot, put it in a slow oven and DON'T PEEK for seven hours. Omigod, is it good--and easy!!
This is a perfect dish for a day when you have a lot of laundry or housework to do. You gotta be in the house anyway, so may as well have a no-stress supper cooking while you're doing other work. You put it in the oven after brunch, then do whatever you need to do, and after seven hours you have some juicy and scrumptious lamb. A half hour before serving, cook up some noodles or something to catch the juices.
Here's Bourdain's version. The only liberties I take with it is to brown the meat prior to putting in the other goodies, and since I have a very tight fitting casserole I don't bother with the flour seal. You can also use a little more wine if you want. The garlic cooks down so its not overpowering; do use at least the amount it calls for.

GIGOT DE SEPT HEURES
1 leg of lamb, about 6#
4 garlic cloves, sliced, plus 20 whole garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
salt & pepper
2 small onions, thinly sliced
4 carrots, peeled
1 bouquet garni
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup flour, 1 cup water
Preheat oven to 300 F. Make many small incisions in lamb, place slivers of garlic in each incision. Rub lamb well with olive oil, season with salt & pepper. (At this point I would brown the lamb on all sidesÂbut thatÂs not necessary.) Place it in Dutch oven and add onions, carrots, bouquet garni, garlic, wine. Put lid on Dutch oven. Combine flour and water, make a 'caulk' and use it to seal the lid to the dutch oven. Place it in the 300 degree oven and cook for 7 hours. Yes, 7 hours. NO PEEKING--leave it alone.
Remove the Dutch oven and break the seal. You don't eat the cooked flour paste.
That's it. About a half hour to an hour of prep, then you leave it the heck alone for 7 hours. It's nearly foolproof. Serve it with whatever else you want, and a medium bodied red wine goes quite well with this (say, a nice Zinfandel) but a dry white (such as the remainder of the bottle you opened to get the cup of wine in the recipe) is fine as well if that's your preference. Bon appetit!

Thanks! cut and pasted! can't wait to have the time at home to try it! sounds wonderful.

Sounds wonderful!
Yes....cast iron edges....makes for a good seal to keep the steam in

Great score!

FWIW I don;t think you are OT at all. We talk Cooking tools here all the time.

Also what does XPost mean?

Sharon: cross-post, on another forum)

What Chase said... the cooking frum isn't just about food.. it's about Cooking... so questions about Le Crueset are definitely in the "on topic" category...

And Arley, that Lamb sounds incredible. DH doesn't like lamb, either.... I wonder if he'd like this?

And oh, great pic of the soup... makes me want to get my le crueset out!! I think I'll get moving and go grocery shopping...

Just FYI I would oil the rim now and again because it will rust just like regular cast iron. Be careful, these pots are addictive you may just end up with an entire set.
enjoy!!!!

Since the pots have a lifetime guarantee, you can get the company to replace the knob.

Thanks for the information.
Linda that soup looks yummy, I have been going over soup recipes today because of that photo, but it warmed up outside too much for me to eat soup!
Ideefixe- are you serious? They will replace it? thats incredible.
Dulcinea I will oil the rim. I do have some old cast iron skillets that I take care of. I had been wondering about the rim. Thanks.

I've never had any rust on the rims of my Le Creuset french ovens. I use the bouillbaisse pots the most. In her book "All About Braising" Molly Stevens suggests putting a piece of overlapping parchment paper under the lid and pushed down close to the contents in the pot. I find that tip very useful in keeping the food moist and tender when braising for long periods in the oven.

seagrass

I also have never had the kid nor rim rust...but I have one very old Le cruset sauce pan that has an unglazed foot that leaves rusty marks in the sink...
Thank heaven for Barkeepers Friend!
Linda C

Yes, I've never had a problem with the pot or lid rim. I think it's probably because we do alot of long cooking with things in it that have enough oil/grease in it that it seasons itself.