Braised Lamb Shoulder Stew
(Navarin d’agneau printanier)
Serves 2 with big appetites
Ingredients
1 lamb shoulder
1/8 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp flour
2 tsp tomato paste
1/2 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into eighths
2 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 turnips, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 cup pearl onions, peeled
1 cup green beans
1 cup peas
1 Tbsp butter
2 branches parsley
salt and pepper to taste
sugar
Cook the lamb
Preheat oven to 350F; put dutch oven or stew pot in oven to heat. Cut lamb into 2-bite-sized pieces while oven and pot are heating.
Move heated pot to stovetop and heat 3-4 Tbsp or so of oil in this hot pot on your stovetop. When everything is very hot, sear the outside of each piece of meat quickly until a nice brown color. (Don’t overcook! You’re only trying to sear the outside of the meat.) Remove meat with tongs and place in a paper towel-lined bowl. Cover with cling wrap (do meat in batches; the meat should be only one layer deep while it is browning).
Add leftover meat and bones last to sear in pan. Remove when browned, and remove all but a thin layer of fat from the bottom of the dutch oven/pot.
Add chopped yellow onion to empty pot and cook 2 mins, then add tomato paste to one end of pot. Cook 1 minute or so, then sprinkle 2-3 Tbsp flour in separate space. Mix together. (It’s okay if things are lumpy at this point.)
Add meat and bones back to same pot. Add ½ cup water and clean bottom of pan well with wooden spoon. Add more water but not too much (about 1/3 of the way up pan contents).
Add bouquet garni, garlic cloves, and salt and pepper. Bring to a minimum boil. Taste (and season, if needed). Cover, and cook in oven at 350F. After 15 minutes, check sauce (should be simmering). Cook for another 45 minutes.
Cook the vegetables
Put potato pieces in a pot of cold, salted water; bring to a boil, and simmer until inserted knife comes out easily. Drain and set aside.
Peel pearl onions and put in a pan in a single layer. Simmer, covered, in a mix of a pinch of sugar, a pinch of salt, a pat of butter, and enough water to cover contents halfway.
Cook the peeled carrot pieces like the pearl onions, but in a separate pan.
Cook the peeled turnip pieces like the pearl onions as well, but in another separate pan.
Trim the green beans and cook in salted, boiling water. Remove 4-5 minutes after water returns to boil and drop into ice water to stop cooking. (This will preserve the green color and retain flavor.)
Cook peas in a small pan of boiling, salted water.
Put it together
Check lamb after 45 minutes. It’s done when you can cut a piece easily with a spoon.
Take meat out of pot and move to a bowl or plate to keep warm.
Remove bones and onions with slotted spoon. Taste sauce, adjust seasoning if you need to.
Clean the sauce: bring sauce to boil, then skim fat with slotted spoon and/or ladle. Skim well!
Pass the sauce through a strainer into medium pan. Bring to gentle boil. Skim well again, and remove fat. (It’s alright if this takes 10 minutes or so.)
Reduce the sauce if it’s not thick enough! This may take a few minutes. Be sure to skim again if you need to.
Taste and season, if needed. Add veggies and meat to sauce so everything is hot.
Serve everybody a big plate!