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

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.