Lamb Navarin

Ingredients

• 1.25kg / 2.75lbs boneless lamb shoulder (, excess fat trimmed, cut into 5cm / 2" pieces (Note 1))
• 1 3/4 tsp cooking / kosher salt (, (or half for table salt, +50% for flakes))
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil (or other plain oil)
• 8 (500g/1lb) baby potatoes (, peeled and cut in half)
• 1 large turnip ((~350g/12oz), peeled, cut into 8 wedges then cut each wedge in half (Note 4))
• 8 pearl onions or small round pickling onions (, peeled (Note 5))
• 2 large carrots ((~200g/7oz each), peeled, cut in half lengthways then into 2cm / 0.8" pieces)
• 3 garlic cloves (, finely minced)
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/3 cup plain flour / all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chardonnay (or any other dry white wine (Note 2))
• 1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock /broth (low sodium) ((Note 3))
• 1 tsp cooking / kosher salt (, (or half for table salt, +50% for flakes))
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 3 sprigs thyme (, fresh (sub: 1/2 tsp dried))
• 2 bay leaves (, fresh (sub: dried))
• 1 cup frozen peas
• Warm crusty bread

Steps

1. 1

   Season lamb. Brown in batches, remove. Brown onions, remove. Cook carrots 2 minutes, then garlic. Stir in tomato paste, 1 minute. Return lamb. Stir in flour, 1 minute. Add wine, then stock. Stir in salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaves.

2. 2

   Bring to a simmer. Cover and bake at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) for 1 hour. Stir in potatoes, turnips and onions. Cover and bake 1 1/2 hours. Stir in peas. Taste and add more salt if needed.

3. 3

   Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).

4. 4

   Season lamb - Spread lamb out onto a tray. Pat dry with paper towels then sprinkle with salt.

5. 5

   Brown lamb - Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based, oven-proof pot over high heat (mine is 24cm / 9.5"). Add 1/3 lamb and brown aggressively all over (about 3 minutes). Remove into tray, then repeat with remaining lamb.

6. 6

   Brown onions - Turn the heat down to medium high and add the onions. Cook for 2 minutes stirring regularly until brown all over. Remove into a bowl.

7. 7

   Sauté carrots & garlic - Add the carrot and cook for 2 minutes stirring regularly until it starts to soften. Add garlic and cook for 20 seconds.

8. 8

   Tomato paste and lamb - Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly. Add the lamb back in the pot including any juices that are on the tray. Stir to combine.

9. 9

   Flour - Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.

10. 10

    Add wine and stock - Pour the wine, stir until the lamb is coated in a pale red, loose paste then add the stock and stir gently until combined.

11. 11

    Seasoning - Add salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaves and stir well.

12. 12

    Oven 1 hour - Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to oven for 1 hour. (See note 6 for other cook methods)

13. 13

    Potato, turnip & onions - Remove from the oven, stir in potato, turnip and onions. Submerge ingredients as best as you can, if some of the vegetables or meat are still peeking above the sauce, that's perfectly fine.

14. 14

    Oven 1 1/2 hours - Cover with lid and return to the oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until the lamb is “fall-apart tender”.

15. 15

    Peas - Add the frozen peas, stir VERY gently using a rubber spatula, cover and leave it for 2 minutes.

16. 16

    Adjust salt - Remove from oven, taste sauce and add salt if needed. (Note 6)

17. 17

    Leave overnight (optional) - If time permits, leave the stew overnight before serving. Like all good stews, the flavours only get better the next day. Reheat it gently over a low heat before serving.

18. 18

    Serve - Serve hot with some warm crusty bread to soak up all that beautiful sauce! Enjoy! 😊