I tried a new lamb stew recipe for Easter dinner, and even though I hadn’t made it before, I made some changes to it as I went along. We were all very happy with the results, so it’s going in the permanent file!
- 6 oz. bacon, sliced into 1/4 inch strips
- 3 lbs. boneless leg of lamb, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
- 1/2 Tbsp. kosher salt for the lamb, plus 1 tsp. for stew
- 1 tsp. black pepper for lamb, plus 1/2 tsp. for stew
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large white onion, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 2/3 cups red wine
- 1 lb. mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 4 cups beef broth or stock
- 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp. dried tarragon
- 1 1/2 lbs. small yellow potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 lb. baby carrots, cut in half on the diagonal
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In a 5 qt. oven-safe dutch oven, saute chopped bacon over medium heat until browned. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a large plate.
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While bacon cooks, season lamb pieces with 1/2 Tbsp. salt and 1 tsp pepper. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup flour and toss to coat. Cook lamb in two batches in hot bacon grease over medium heat until browned then transfer to the plate with bacon.
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Add diced onion to the bacon grease and sauté 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute, stirring constantly. Add 1 2/3 cups wine, scraping the bottom to deglaze. Add sliced mushrooms, bring to a simmer then cook uncovered 10 minutes. While mushrooms are simmering, preheat oven to 325.
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Return bacon and lamb to pot and add 4 cups broth, 1 Tbsp. tomato paste, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1 tsp. dried tarragon, and 2 bay leaves. Stir in potatoes and carrots, making sure potatoes are submerged in liquid. Bring to a boil, then cover and transfer to preheated oven for 1 hour and 45 minutes. When done, potatoes and lamb will be very tender.