Yankee Lamb Stew
Submitted by monkey
Yankee lamb stew with braised lamb shoulder, potatoes, turnips, carrots, and peas in a white wine and thyme sauce. Oven-braised in a Dutch oven for fork-tender meat.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
2 hrsREADY
2 hrsThis New England-style lamb stew is built the right way: browned meat, deglazed fond, aromatic vegetables, and a long, slow braise in the oven. Three pounds of lamb shoulder cubes get seared hard in a Dutch oven, then the pot gets loaded with onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and tomato paste to build a deeply savory base.
A cup of dry white wine deglazes the pan, then stock and fresh thyme take over for the braise. After an hour and a half in the oven, the sauce gets strained to remove the spent aromatics, leaving a clean, concentrated gravy that coats each piece of tender lamb.
Fresh vegetables, potatoes, turnips, carrots, and peas, are cooked separately in butter so they stay distinct and vibrant instead of turning to mush in the braising liquid. They rejoin the stew right at the end for a final warm-through.
Pro Tips
- Pat the lamb completely dry before browning. Wet meat steams instead of searing, and you’ll miss out on that caramelized crust that flavors the whole stew.
- Brown in batches without crowding. Overcrowding drops the pan temperature and gives you grey, boiled meat.
- Strain the sauce through a fine strainer after braising. This removes the overcooked aromatics and gives you a smooth, refined gravy.
- Cook the root vegetables separately in butter so they hold their shape and add texture contrast to the tender lamb.
Variations
- Irish style: Replace the white wine with a dark stout beer for a richer, maltier braise.
- Rosemary version: Swap the thyme for fresh rosemary, a classic lamb pairing that adds a piney, resinous note.
- Spring stew: Add fresh asparagus tips and fava beans with the peas at the end for a lighter, seasonal finish.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 325℉ (160℃).
Pat the meat dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper as desired.
Heat the oil in a large covered casserole or Dutch oven over high heat on top of the stove.
Add the meat, without crowding, in batches if necessary, and brown well on all sides.
Remove pieces to a plate as they are done and reserve.
Repeat until all meat is browned.
Pour off any remaining fat, and replace the casserole over medium heat.
Add the onion, half the carrots, celery, garlic and tomato paste.
Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Use your spoon to loosen and dissolve the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the casserole.
Add flour and cook, stirring, an additional minute.
Add the wine and cook for about a minute to burn off the alcohol.
Replace the meat (and any juices on the plate) in the casserole and add the stock, peppercorns and thyme.
Cover, bring to a boil and place in the oven for 1¼ to 1½ hours, or until meat is tender.
Meanwhile, combine potatoes, remaining carrots and butter with ½ cup of water in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the turnips and cook, stirring occasionally, until all water is evaporated, leaving the vegetables bathed in butter, about another 5 minutes.
Add the peas, remove from the heat and set aside.
Remove the casserole from the oven.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the sauce and place it in a bowl.
Pour the sauce through a fine strainer into another bowl and discard the vegetables and spices that remain in the strainer.
Replace meat in the pot, add the cooked vegetables and the sauce.
Cover and place over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Serve piping hot.
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