Lamb Navarin
Lamb shoulder stewed with turnips, carrots, potatoes and peas in a light tomato and thyme broth.
Photograph credit: Navarin of lamb by Glen MacLarty from Sydney, Australia · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Making Lamb Navarin Ahead
Keeps in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat gently until hot all the way through.
Lamb Navarin: The Method
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Season the lamb with the salt and brown in the oil in batches for 8 minutes each. Set aside.
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Soften the onion in the same pot for 5 minutes, then stir in the flour and tomato purée for 1 minute.
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Pour in the stock, scraping the pot, and add the lamb, thyme and bay leaf. Simmer gently, partly covered, for 60 minutes.
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Add the carrots and turnips and cook for 10 minutes, then the potatoes for 20 minutes more.
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Stir in the peas for the last 5 minutes. Skim off any fat and serve.
Worth Knowing
- Brown the lamb well.
- Add the vegetables in stages.
- Skim the fat before serving.
- Keep the simmer gentle.
Why the Method Is What It Is
Brown the lamb in batches, and let each batch go properly dark. That is the most useful instruction, because a navarin has no cream or wine to hide behind, and the browning is where the flavour comes from.
Season the lamb and sear it in a hot pot until every side is deep brown. Take it out, soften the onion, stir in the flour and tomato purée and add the stock. Return the lamb with the thyme and bay and simmer gently, partly covered, for 60 minutes. Add the vegetables in stages. Carrots and turnips go in for the last 30 minutes, potatoes for the last 20, and peas for the last 5.
The lamb should be tender enough to cut with a spoon and the broth lightly thickened. If it is too thin, boil it uncovered for 5 minutes.
The finished stew is light, rather than rich, and tastes of the vegetables as much as the meat. Skim off any fat before serving.
Serving Ideas
Crusty bread · Green salad · Dijon mustard · Red wine
Lamb Navarin Nutrition Facts
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked.
First published ; last changed .
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