Lamb Stew
This lamb stew recipe turns 2½ pounds of lamb shoulder into spoon-tender cubes in a thick, glossy gravy that clings to every potato, with carrots and peas adding color and sweetness.
Equipment
- 6-quart Dutch oven - with a tight-fitting lid; a wide base lets you brown the lamb in two batches without crowding
- Chef's knife - for cubing the lamb and chopping the vegetables
- Large cutting board - with enough room to cube 2½ pounds of meat
- Wooden spoon - for scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot
- Stainless steel slotted spoon - for fishing out the bay leaves and herb stems at the end
- Stainless steel soup ladle - for skimming fat and serving
- Large mixing bowl - for tossing the lamb in flour
- Rimmed plate or sheet pan - to hold the browned lamb
- Paper towels - for drying the lamb before seasoning
- Measuring cups and measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 2½ pounds boneless lamb shoulder - 1.1 kg; trimmed of thick fat and cut into 1½-inch (4 cm) cubes; ask the butcher to cube it for you if you prefer, but check that the pieces are an even size
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt - divided; one teaspoon seasons the lamb and the rest goes into the broth
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper - divided
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour - 30 g; for coating the lamb
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil - 45 ml; divided
- 2 medium yellow onions - about 300 g; diced
- 2 stalks celery - about 100 g; sliced ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 tablespoons double concentrated tomato paste - 30 g
- 1 cup dry red wine - 240 ml; such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot
- 4 cups low sodium beef broth - 950 ml
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary - about 4 inches (10 cm) long
- 1½ pounds baby Yukon gold potatoes - 680 g; halved, or quartered if larger than a golf ball; baby Yukon golds hold their shape better than russets because their lower starch keeps them from dissolving into the broth
- 3 medium carrots - about 340 g; peeled and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) chunks
- 1 cup frozen peas - 150 g; added straight from the freezer at the end
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley - finely chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Trim thick fat from the lamb, cut into 1½-inch cubes, and pat very dry with paper towels. Toss with 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and the flour until every cube has a thin, even dusting. Dice the onions, slice the celery, and mince the garlic; keep them together. Halve the potatoes and cut the carrots into 1-inch chunks; keep these separate. Chop the parsley and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high. Brown half the lamb in a single layer, about 6 minutes total, turning to brown all sides. Transfer to a plate and repeat with 1 more tablespoon oil and the remaining lamb. Lower the heat to medium if the browned bits smell burnt.
- Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook the onions and celery for about 6 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot, until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds, then add the tomato paste and stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes until it darkens to brick red and smells sweet.
- Pour in the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pot firmly to loosen every browned bit. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until the wine has reduced by about half and the sharp alcohol smell has faded.
- Return the browned lamb and any collected juices to the pot. Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Bring to a bare boil, then lower the heat to its lowest setting with the lid slightly ajar. Simmer for 60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes; the surface should show only a few lazy bubbles.
- Stir in the potatoes and carrots, pushing them into the liquid, and add up to ½ cup water or broth if they are not mostly covered. Return to a gentle simmer with the lid slightly ajar and cook for 30 minutes, until a fork slides easily into the potatoes and a lamb cube pulls apart with almost no resistance. Continue simmering in 10-minute increments if the lamb is still chewy.
- Stir in the frozen peas and simmer for 5 minutes, until bright green and heated through. Remove the bay leaves and herb stems with a slotted spoon, skim any visible fat from the surface, and taste the gravy for salt and pepper. Ladle into warm bowls and sprinkle each serving with chopped parsley.
Notes
- Buy lamb shoulder, not leg or loin: Shoulder has the fat and connective tissue that make a long simmer worthwhile. Lean cuts like loin dry out and never become silky.
- Cut the cubes evenly: Pieces that range from 1 inch to 2 inches will finish at different times, leaving some tender cubes and some tough ones.
- Dry the lamb thoroughly: Surface moisture turns to steam and blocks browning, so use plenty of paper towels before adding the flour.
- Never crowd the pot: Browning in two batches prevents the lamb from steaming into gray cubes with no crust and a thin gravy.
- Keep the simmer lazy: Boiling toughens the meat; a low, steady simmer is what turns collagen into gelatin. If the pot bubbles hard, lower the heat or move the pot partly off the burner.
- Leave the lid slightly ajar: A fully closed lid traps too much steam and thins the gravy, while a cracked lid lets the liquid reduce slowly and concentrate.
- Add the potatoes and carrots late: Added at the start, they turn to mush by the two-hour mark. Thirty minutes is enough for them to become tender and still hold their shape.
- Try the oven: For hands-off cooking, bring the stew to a simmer on the stove, cover the pot, and move it to a 325°F (160°C) oven. Check the lamb after 60 minutes before adding the vegetables.
- Storage: Cool the stew within 2 hours and refrigerate in shallow airtight containers for up to 4 days. Chilling overnight makes skimming the fat simple because it sets into a layer that lifts off in one piece.
- Freezing: Freeze the cooled stew for up to 3 months, leaving an inch of headspace. Potatoes soften slightly after thawing, so stir in fresh frozen peas when reheating to keep their bright color.
- Thicken if needed: The flour on the lamb thickens the stew as it simmers. If the gravy looks thin, simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, mash a few pieces of potato against the side of the pot, or use a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water.
- Make it gluten-free: Toss the lamb in 2 tablespoons cornstarch instead of flour; the gravy will be slightly glossier and may need a few extra minutes of simmering.
Nutrition
Serving: 1BowlCalories: 580kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 38gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 12gSodium: 850mgFiber: 6gSugar: 7g
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