Wealden Times | WT182 | April 2017 | Gardens supplement inside

Food
Navarin of Lamb
Serves: 6-8 Prep time: 30 mins Cooking time: 1½ hours
For the lamb
• 1 whole shoulder of
lamb, cut into 4cm
squares
• 1 large onion
• 60g butter
• 4 cloves garlic,
chopped
• 8 medium turnips,
peeled and quartered
• ½ bottle of red wine
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 tbsps tomato purée
• 800ml stock
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1 dsp dark brown
sugar
For the garnish
• 24 shallots, peeled but
kept whole, stalk on
• 450g button
mushrooms
• 30g butter
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 8 rashers dry-cured
back bacon, sliced into
strips
• 2 tbsps parsley, finely
chopped
• 400ml stock (lamb or
chicken)
• 2 tbsps finely chopped
parsley
• 32 baby potatoes
1. Using a large frying pan, soften the onions in olive oil
and put them into a heavy ovenproof casserole dish.
2. Sear the meat in batches in hot oil and add
them to the onions. Add the butter and let it
melt over the meat and onions, sprinkle on the
flour and the sugar, turning it all together.
3. Now add the garlic to the frying pan, cook it briefly
then deglaze the pan with the red wine. Let it bubble
for a minute and pour it into the casserole, followed
by the stock, the tomato purée and the thyme.
4. Add the turnips to the casserole, bring the whole
thing to simmering point and then put into the oven
for about an hour and a half. Test to see if the meat
is tender and allow it to cool until you need it. It
will happily stay in the fridge for a day or two.
5. To prepare the vegetables, simmer the shallots in stock
for about five minutes, remove with a slotted spoon,
then add the mushrooms and simmer them for 5
minutes. Strain them, reserving the stock. Melt the butter
in a frying pan and stir in the sugar. Put the cooked
mushrooms and shallots into this, turning them to make
them slightly caramelised. Add 2 tablespoons of the
reserved stock, stirring it all together (save the rest of
the stock for soup). Allow it to cool until you are ready
to serve. Fry the bacon in a little oil until it is crisps.
6. Now boil the potatoes until just cooked, add to the meat
with the shallot and mushrooms, fold in gently.
159 wealdentimes.co.uk