Drain the beans, reserving the liquid. Put a layer of half the beans in an 8-quart braising pan or casserole and top with a layer of the onions and the remaining garlic cloves, finely chopped. Put the lamb shanks on top, add the remaining beans and the broth from the pan in which the shanks cooked. If there is not enough liquid (there should be enough to cover the shanks), add some of the reserved bean liquid. Lay the bacon slices on top and cook in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour, adding more of the bean liquid if the mixture cooks down too much and the beans seem dry. Melt the remaining butter, toss the bread crumbs in it, and sprinkle them over the top of the dish. Bake 20 minutes longer, or until crumbs are golden. Serve from the pan or casserole. Serves six.

Soak the beans overnight in cold water. Drain them, put them in a pot with the whole onion and cover generously with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 11/2 hours or until very soft, adding more hot water as it evaporates so that the beans remain covered with liquid. Add salt halfway through the cooking time. Drain the beans, discarding the onion. Set oven at 400. Puree the beans, using a food mill or pushing them through a sieve, to remove the skins. Beat in the cream. Drain the tuna, shred it with a fork, and mix into the bean puree. Stir in the cheese and add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the mixture into a buttered baking dish, sprinkled with bread crumbs and dot with butter. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned. Serve hot. Serves six.

Dice meat. [Cook] onions and carrot in 1 tablespoon butter and the oil over medium heat until they are tender but not brown. Stir in the gravy. If you do not have gravy, stir in flour into the onions and carrots in the pan and cook slowly for 7 minutes. Then add the tomato paste and beef bouillon and stir and cook until gravy thickens. Stir in diced meat. With 1 tablespoon of the butter, grease well a 2-quart shallow ovenproof dish. Spread half the mashed potatoes in the bottom of the dish. Spoon the meat and gravy over the potatoes and top with a layer of the remaining potatoes. Paint the top of the potatoes with egg yolk. Dot with remaining butter. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes. The potatoes should be golden brown on top when the dish is done. Serves six.