Light Lamb Navarin

📝 Ingredients

• 600 g boneless lamb shoulder, fat trimmed (trimmed weight)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 brown onion + 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp plain wheat flour
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 chicken stock cube + 600 ml hot water
• 4 medium turnips (about 100 g each)
• 4 carrots (about 100 g each)
• 500 g small waxy potatoes (about 8)
• 200 g frozen peas
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme + 2 bay leaves
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Cast-iron casserole dish (24 cm) with lid
• Chopping board
• Kitchen knife
• Peeler
• Wooden spoon
• Measuring jug

📖 Steps

1. Cut the lamb into 4 cm cubes, removing any remaining fat and thick sinew, then pat dry with kitchen paper and season lightly with salt. Peel and slice the onion and crush the garlic cloves. Dissolve the stock cube in 600 ml hot water.
2. Heat the oil in the casserole dish over a high heat. Brown the meat in 2 batches, 4 to 5 min each, turning it only when it releases from the bottom on its own. Too much meat at once would make it stew instead of brown. Set aside on a plate.
3. Reduce to a medium heat and fry the onion in the casserole for 3 min, scraping up the browned bits, then add the garlic. Return the meat and its juices, sprinkle with the flour and stir for 1 min: the flour needs to cook a little, as it's what will thicken the sauce.
4. Add the tomato purée and stir for 30 seconds, then pour in the hot stock, scraping the bottom well. Add the thyme and bay leaf, bring to a simmer, cover and cook gently for 1 hour over a low heat: a few small bubbles should rise, but no rolling boil.
5. Meanwhile, peel the carrots, turnips and potatoes. Cut the carrots into 4 cm chunks and the turnips into quarters; leave the potatoes whole, or halve them if they're bigger than an egg.
6. Add the vegetables to the casserole, pushing them down into the sauce: they don't need to be fully submerged, as the steam cooks the top. Cover and cook for a further 30 to 35 min over a low heat, until a knife slides into the potatoes without resistance.
7. Add the frozen peas without defrosting them and cook uncovered for 8 to 10 min: the sauce reduces and coats the meat, and the peas stay bright green. The lamb should be meltingly tender and cut with a spoon; if not, cook for 10 min more.
8. Remove the thyme and bay leaf, skim the surface with a spoon if a little fat has risen, then taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve piping hot, straight from the casserole.