Hearty Lamb Stew
Let me start by explaining that I’m not saying this to deter you from getting your stew on, but it still needs to be said nonetheless. This recipe is an immense pain in the butt to make. It’s not like this recipe is complicated or messy. Everything is prepared in one pot, but full disclosure, I’m not a fan of prepping vegetables. In all honesty, I’m opposed to monotonous kitchen tasks, which, regrettably, is why there’s always a stack of dishes in my sink (you don’t know how good you kids with a dishwashing machine have it). However, with the vegetable prep aside, all that hard work is well worth it in the end because my version of lamb stew is BANGIN’.
I wish there was an app where you can hire a sous-chef by the hour
I love taking a break from beef and cooking with lamb. When I was a kid, my family would basically only cook lamb on Easter. Maybe we would have lamb on the grill randomly during the summer, but for the most part, lamb was a holiday meal in my household, and even then, it was rack of lamb, leg of lamb, or the dreaded capuzzelle (lamb’s head). My father would break out the mint jelly for such an occasion, while my grandparents would serve lamb as an entrée after the pasta course (pasta was an almost every meal thing for me growing up). Never would my family think to put a special occasion dish like lamb into a stew. My mother’s stews were exclusively beef, and while there’s nothing wrong with a delicious pot of beef stew, I find myself yearning for something a little different from time to time.
Similar to what I explained in my Shepherd’s Pie post, American’s are obsessed with beef. It’s a long-standing love affair that won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. However, lamb is just as filling and tasty as beef. Though lamb meat is more expensive, that shouldn’t deter you from trying to adapt lamb into your beef recipes now and then.
Browning the floured lamb cubes
Sautéeing the base veggies
Adding in the mushrooms and red wine
When lamb is cooked the right way, it’s juicy and tender. Many people who don’t enjoy lamb cite its gaminess as the chief reason, but not all parts of the lamb are as gamey as others. If you choose a cut of lamb with more fat content, you’ll have a more robust lamb flavor. Unfortunately for you lamb haters out there, this recipe calls for lamb stew meat, which is usually the shoulder or leg meat. However, as you cook the lamb, it will taste less gamey because it absorbs the flavors from the broth, seasoning, and vegetables.
As I mentioned earlier, the only annoying part of this recipe is washing, peeling, and slicing all of the vegetables. Once you get over that hump, it’s all smooth sailing from there. I like to cut and prepare all of my vegetables ahead of time. This way, I don’t panic and fall behind the steps while making my stew. An adequately prepared mise en place also helps you measure the number of ingredients you have in front of you, so make sure you skip the chaos, cut all of your vegetables, and measure your liquid and dry ingredients ahead of time.
You know I can’t resist a good pour shot
Dumping in the root vegetables
Letting all the different flavors mingle for a bit
I prefer a thicker stew, so I always coat the lamb meat in flour before browning it. I do this by tossing the meat into a ziplock bag with the flour, and I shake it around for a bit until I see everything is evenly dusted. You can also make a slurry and combine one teaspoon of flour with cold water and add it into the stew as everything is cooking. While the starch in the potatoes naturally thickens the stew, I also like to add Wondra, instant flour, to the recipe at the end when I can gauge the thickness of the broth. Wondra instantly dissolves in liquid, doesn't leave any clumps, and virtually has no taste. People use Wondra for all types of things ranging from pastries to breading fish, meat, and vegetables. It’s another “secret” ingredient staple that I always have in my kitchen.
I’ve come to learn that all the food styling pros garnish everything with parsley for no other reason than a color pop, but in this case, it actually adds a mild flavor
This is a meal meant for sharing. It yields more than enough food to feed a family of four. Since I live alone, I packed a couple of Tupperware containers with my leftovers and gave some to my parents and grandparents. Even after giving some away, I still had two bowls left to eat the day after, which is when I think this stew tastes its best because the ingredients blend better, and the stew has more time to thicken. It tastes richer and creamier the next day, which is how I prefer to enjoy this recipe. The lamb stew will stay good for three days in the refrigerator, but I wouldn’t eat it if it has been in the refrigerator longer than that.
As for the wine, you have a lot of kinds to choose from. I would pair this meal with a Chianti Classico, a red Bordeaux, Cabernet, Pinot Noir, or a red Côtes-du-Rhône wine.
That heavenly moment after you clean the stove and all the mise en place dishes and you can finally sit down to appreciate your meal. Proud stew Momma right here
Ingredients
2lbs- 2 1/2lbs of lamb stew meat or lamb shoulder, cubed
1lb of heirloom potatoes, halved
1lb of button mushrooms, sliced
1lb of carrots, peeled and sliced
1lb of boiler onions, peeled and whole or 1 large onion, diced
1/2 lb turnips, peeled and quartered
1/2 lb of celery, chopped
3 whole garlic cloves, 2 cloves minced
2 tablespoons of parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon of thyme
2 bay leaves
2 cups of chicken stock (or two bouillon cubes in 2 cups of water)
2 cups of beef stock (or two bouillon cubes in 2 cups of water)
1 cup of red wine
6 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 tablespoons of heavy cream
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons of Wondra
Salt and black pepper to taste
Cooking Instructions
Remove the lamb from the refrigerator and let it rest for an hour
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
Pat the lamb dry and season with salt and pepper. Cover the lamb with the flour by tossing the meat into two separate zip lock bags, shaking to coat
Heat two tablespoons of oil in a dutch oven or deep skillet on medium-high heat. Brown the lamb for 4-5 minutes on each side in two to three batches. Add another two tablespoons of oil for the second batch.
**You can use a dutch oven to cook the entire recipe or use a deep skillet and then transfer it to an ovenproof dish
Transfer the browned meat to a large bowl and set it aside for later
Add the onions and celery to the dutch oven or deep skillet with the remaining two tablespoons of oil and cover, cooking for 4 minutes on medium heat
Remove the lid and add in both the whole and minced garlic. Cook for an additional minute or two while stirring
Add in the wine and mushrooms, bring the liquid to a simmer, cooking uncovered for around 10 minutes. Stir occasionally
Toss in the tomato paste and sugar, cooking for another 2 minutes
Transfer the browned lamb back to the Dutch oven or deep skillet and dump in the broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and 2 bay leaves
Pour in the heavy cream, potatoes, turnips, and carrots, completely submerging them in liquid. Bring the Dutch oven or deep skillet to a boil
Turn off the stove and remove the bay leaves. Cover the Dutch oven or transfer to a large baking dish and cook for 90 minutes at 325 degrees or until the lamb and vegetables are tender enough to pierce with a fork
Remove the stew from the oven and uncover. Add Wundra if you like a thicker stew. Stir well
Garnish with fresh parsley and serve
