Not so Irish Lamb Stew

Tip o' the hat to the Irish for some inspiration for last night's dinner, but this version of Lamb Stew is not quite one that could claim to be from the Emerald Isle. Made with wine instead of Guinness, it might be more French than Irish. Oh well!

I have to admit I checked out a ton of recipes for inspiration before I put on my apron and came up with this one. Download Not so Irish Lamb Stew  Sometimes you just have to trust your instincts in the kitchen and while I knew I wanted to use the half portion of lamb's leg that I'd purchased at Sprouts over the weekend, I wasn't sure whether to just roast the darn thing or make a braise.

Braising won the draw and believe you me it was the right choice. Full of bacon, onion, garlic, shallots, seasoned with rosemary and worcestershire sauce, sweetened with brown sugar and soured with red wine vinegar, the lamb took on an incredibly rich flavor and moist tender texture thanks to it's slow simmer in the oven. Course the Marsala wine may have been responsible for some of that flavor too. Topped with beautiful baby carrots and sweet nutty parsnip half way through the cooking time, I topped the stew with some fresh parsley just before it joined the mashed potato pie on the plate. It was greeted with groans of joy by the big guy and moans of absolute total bliss for the entire 5 minutes it took him to clean his plate.

Now I know you're likely thinking a couple of things so before you go off on a tangent about my using lamb leg for a stew, I have to tell you it's incredibly lean and in my opinion just perfect for braising. The roast was so tiny there's no way I could have cooked it to a proper medium rare, so by cubing and dredging it in seasoned flour then browning it well, and treating it to a slow braise, it was tender and rich in flavor. You've got to cook it slowly though or the muscle fibers will seize up and be tough as shoe leather. When I say simmer and slow - I mean it. 

As for that darned Mashed Potato Pie, no I didn't make another one. That's the last two pieces that were hanging out in the freezer just waiting for such an occasion. If you haven't tried it yet, you HAVE to. I guarantee it's going to be your new favorite potato dish - it'll make you famous. Heck, maybe it'll even make me famous, but you've got to try it first.

You can see from the picture it freezes incredibly well - I defrosted it for a few minutes in the microwave, then it hit the oven until it was hot and delicious. The crust remained crisp, even on the bottom and the flavor..well, OK I'll stop (if I must). Just try the darn thing would ya? Download Mashed Potato Pie

Comments

[noble pig]

Very nice and Irishy...it's fun to look at lots of recipes and then come up with one.

[June]

It is and sometimes I even surprise myself!

[Nanan]

Lovely looking stew - braising has to be my favorite cooking method. The way you describe lamb - I may one day just cook some following one of your methods...

My, oh my - I must make that pie!!!!

[June]

Lea - I love braising too and lamb is just fabulous. If you remove as much fat as possible, it doesn't have the "gamey" smell or taste that some people have an aversion to. As for the pie - YES, please make it! It is amazing.

[Sophie]

What a tasty, apart & interesting looking stew!!!

MMMMMMMMMM,...lovely food!

[June]

Thanks Sophie and thanks for visiting! BTW, your Orange & Fennel chicken looks wonderful!