Lamb Stew Made Light

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lamb-stew

My husband loves lamb, so when I saw a version of this lamb stew in our local newspaper, I decided to give it a try with my “Lamb Stew Made Light”. Intrigued by its claim to be a “light” version of the classic lamb stew, I promptly went out and bought a boneless lamb roast. Since I wanted to christen my shiny new Dutch oven, a Valentine’s present from Larry, I ignored the directions to use a slow cooker.

I substituted homemade chicken stock for salty, canned beef broth and used a smaller-sized lamb roast. The lamb was expensive and I thought a 4-pound roast was too large for the amount of vegetables in the stew. Lemon zest and extra herbs from the garden added pep to the stew, which has a broth-y sauce rather than the traditional heavy gravy.

Braising the meat in the oven resulted in incredibly tender meat that could be pulled apart with two spoons. Not much of a lamb fan myself, I was pleased that the flavor of the lamb was not overly strong.

TIP: Add a little more stock when you reheat the leftovers.

Serves 6

  • 1 24-ounce bag baby Dutch potatoes
  • 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • 3-pound boneless lamb roast
  • 1 6-inch piece fresh rosemary
  • 5 springs fresh thyme
  • 5 sprigs flat-leaved parsley
  • zest of 1 Meyer lemon
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • kosher salt and/or black pepper
  • 1 11-12 ounce bottle Guinness beer
  • 2 cups homemade or low sodium chicken stock
  • 2 cups crimini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen green peas

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Layer the potatoes, then the carrots and onions in a large, heavy-bottomed pot.

3. Remove the netting from the lamb, open up the roast and place it on top of the vegetables. Using your hands, coat the roast with the olive oil, then season it with salt and/or pepper.

4. Combine the rosemary, thyme and parsley into a little bundle and tie with kitchen string. Tuck it under the lamb.

5. Sprinkle the lemon zest and garlic over the lamb.

6. Pour the beer and chicken stock over the vegetables.

7. Cover the pot and cook for 3 hours. Add the mushrooms and cook an additional 30 minutes.

8. Remove the pot from the oven, add the peas for cover for 5 minutes.

9. Remove the herb bundle.

10. Using two spoons or forks, pull the lamb into bite-sized pieces. Serve.

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18 Responses to Lamb Stew Made Light

  1. Elizabeth February 24, 2012 at 7:26 am #

    Lamb Stew with Guinness…yum. I am your Valentine’s Day present. Larry is no fool. He knows he will benefit from that gift.

  2. Carol Sacks February 24, 2012 at 11:16 am #

    Liz, this looks delicious and I love your photo!

    • lizthechef February 24, 2012 at 11:29 am #

      Thanks, Carol, I need to really get disciplined and work with the new camera more – but having fun as I go.

  3. Kim February 24, 2012 at 12:38 pm #

    We on such parallel tracks! For Valentine’s Day, I bought myself a Staub pot (because it was on sale), and PRETENDED it was a gift from Barry. 😛 Kudos to Larry for getting that gorgeous pot for you!!!

    Last month, we ordered a lamb stew from a local Italian restaurant, and loved it so much I knocked off the dish the same week (using Meyer lemons from the yard). Because we slow-cooked it, it wasn’t gamey at all!

    Barry has this thing about not liking mushrooms, so I used eggplant. Evidently, those were better. 🙂

    • lizthechef February 24, 2012 at 1:53 pm #

      Let’s put it this way – Larry came in the store with me, but I picked out my pot 😉

  4. The Wimpy Vegetarian February 24, 2012 at 5:28 pm #

    I love your Creuset! I have one exactly like it, same color, etc, except it’s been used so much it looks like it’s been through a war. And Larry and Myles were totally on the same wavelength – I got a stovetop frittata pan for V-day :-). Now that we’re finally back home from our travels this month, I’m really looking forward to trying it out. So, also love the beer addition to this lamb stew! I’ve made a lot of lamb stews, but never with beer. Thanks for the great idea!!

    • lizthechef February 24, 2012 at 6:05 pm #

      This is a total Wimpy Vegetarian recipe – mild flavor re lamb. Excited to study your ricotta post just up – but pizza in the oven, so later. X0

  5. sippitysup (@sippitysup) February 24, 2012 at 6:35 pm #

    PS I always ignore the directions to use a slow cooker, because that is exactly what a Dutch oven is! GREG #NoMoreAppliances

    • lizthechef February 24, 2012 at 8:03 pm #

      Hey, Greg, thanks #nomoreappliances !

  6. TasteFood February 25, 2012 at 9:57 am #

    What a beautiful bowl of lamb stew! Great photo and recipe Liz. Larry has good gift taste.

    • lizthechef February 25, 2012 at 10:36 am #

      Hi Lynda, thanks – looking forward to trying your loso shrimp curry.

  7. Norma Chang February 27, 2012 at 1:59 pm #

    Love the simpicity of this recipe, just layer all the ingredients in the pot, put in oven and let it do it things. Definitely going to make this.

    • lizthechef February 27, 2012 at 3:27 pm #

      It worked like a charm for me and I do hope you try it!

  8. Oui, Chef February 29, 2012 at 11:12 am #

    Not only do I love lamb, but I love every other ingredient you’ve used here too, Liz. I MUST try this one!

  9. Winnie March 5, 2012 at 2:21 pm #

    I hated lamb most of my life but I am starting to enjoy it now. This stew looks delicious, Liz!

  10. Dominique March 13, 2012 at 3:47 pm #

    Just got around to making the lamb stew exactly as you specified. It was delicious and I’ve already been asked for the recipe. 🙂

    • lizthechef March 13, 2012 at 3:49 pm #

      I love when my friends try my recipes – so happy it was a success! I made it again for Larry on Sunday.Thank you!

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