In this Hearty Rosemary Lamb Stew tender pieces of lamb are generously seasoned with fresh thyme and rosemary and a bit of fresh cracked black pepper.
I hate to disillusion you but we have not been subsisting solely on cookies the past few weeks. I’ve actually made some really delicious meals that I have been dying to share with you!
But I thought it might be odd for Day 6 of 12 Days of Christmas Cookies to be stew, so I waited patiently!
I don’t know what the technical difference between stew and soup is but to me stew is thick, thick, thick! Like stick to the ribs for three days kind of thick. There is nothing like a steaming bowl of stew on a cold winter’s day.
And stew, like soup, must be eaten with bread. Good crusty Italian bread, fresh French baguette, homemade whole wheat bread…doesn’t matter. I love me some bread. {Thanks, Mom.}
But stew, particularly lamb stew, makes me crave Irish Soda Bread.
Is there anything better than soda bread? {Pretty much everything if you ask my husband, but we didn’t ask him, did we?}
Sadly, I was too busy making cookies to make Irish Soda Bread.
This sad fact also meant that I couldn’t thicken my stew with soda bread as I did with this beef stew. But stew must be thick!
A word to the wise…do not call something stew around my husband unless it is thick. No matter how delicious, it will be met with the scornful critique, “This isn’t stew.”
So I thickened this stew with mashed potatoes.
The birth of this idea went like this:
My husband was on his way home;
I had a panic attack that my stew wasn’t thick enough;
I went through a mental list of all the things I could thicken it with;
I had none of them and I panicked again;
And then I made quick and dirty mashed potatoes in the microwave and I stirred them in the stew.
#problemsolved
Unfortunately the mashed potato thickener ensured that this Hearty Rosemary Lamb Stew wouldn't win any beauty contests, but any misgivings are forgiven after one bite. Like most stews, this one is even better the next day. May I suggest you make double?
In addition to mashed potatoes in the broth, there are potatoes and carrots in the stew. A generous seasoning of rosemary and thyme perfectly compliments the lamb, and little white wine to add complexity.
All is simmered to tender perfection! The lamb absolutely melts in your mouth!
Add a side salad and a gigantic hunk of crusty bread and you have yourself a filling, fantastic meal!
Hearty Rosemary Lamb Stew
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs lamb stew meat (cubed)
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons rosemary (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 yellow onion (medium dice)
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 3 medium carrots (medium dice)
- 6 small Yukon gold potatoes (medium dice)
- 4 sprigs rosemary
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 1.5 quarts cold water
- 4 small potatoes such as Yukon gold (peeled but left whole)
Instructions
- Mix flour, pepper, salt & chopped rosemary together in a large bowl. Brown in 3 batches (or more) in a large Dutch oven in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Start with 1 and add as needed between batches.
- Rinse and pat dry your meat – cut into small cubes, no larger than ¾ inch across.
- Toss meat in flour mixture to coat
- Heat a large saucepot or Dutch oven over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and swirl to coat.
- Brown meat in 3 batches (or more). Make sure there is enough space between pieces so that they brown and don't steam. Flip and brown each piece on 4 sides.
- Remove meat and cover. Repeat with the next batch, adding more oil as needed.
- Once all meat has been browned and is set to the side, add butter to pan and melt. Saute onion for 2 minutes or until it has just started to become translucent around the edges. Add wine to deglaze pan, scraping any browned bits off the bottom.
- Add meat, accumulated juices, and veggies back to pan. Add water just to cover. Bring to a boil, skim the foam, reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, 2 hours.
- Microwave potatoes on high for 3 minutes or until soft. Mash with a fork and add to the pot, stirring to mix.
- Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Add rosemary and thyme sprigs to pot, pushing them down into the liquid. Cook an additional hour at least.
- I simmered mine for 4, which gives plenty of time for the meat to break down and become soft. You could cook it for less time but you may sacrifice the texture of your meat.
- You will want to remove any skin that accumulates on the top of the liquid with the back of a dry metal spoon.
- If your stew is not thick enough, you can cook it uncovered for the last hour. I did.
Yup. See it now. Lol thanks!!
Oh good! Enjoy! This stew is still one of my favorites!
Is it just me or is there a step missing in the instructions that says when the carrots go in?
It's in step 4 where I say "put the veggies in".
I love stew. It is just so comfy. Not to mention not difficult to make. Add to that the fact that there are always leftovers (because stew is always a huge pot) which is great for lunches. Ok, I'm ready to make me some stew.
Oh, and wasn't it Rachael Ray who coined the term "Stoup". Maybe David (above) and your hubby could buy into that.
I think the easy part is the best part! I'm pretty sure both David and my husband would scoff at Stoup! 🙂
This stew does look hearty, perfect for a cold day! Love the use of thyme, goes great with lamb. Also - genius idea to thicken it with mashed potatoes 🙂 Pinned!
Thanks for the pin, girlfriend!
Wait...does it get cold in Atlanta? Anything less than 65° is good enough for me! Now that we live in the frozen tundra, I have a new-found love of soup and stew. (Yes, stew must be thick. Or else it's soup. Soup is not stew. Stew is not soup. Ah, but I digress.) You know what I would like? I would like a bowl of this stew waiting for me whenever I come in from shoveling snow. Can we make that happen? Thanks! Also, Merry Christmas, Lindsey!! I hope NZ is treating you well. 🙂 Also, you should hide your china plates. I heard that Taz doesn't like them.
Haha! You've been away so long that you've forgotten! It does get cold! It was in the 40's when we left. It's all relative. 🙂 It seems as if you and my husband could trade off places on the stew vs soup soapbox! lol! I'll send you some lamb stew from the capital of world lamb production...you'll get it sometime next month...I cannot vouch for the edibility! 😉
Perfect Winter Time Stew, totally pinning for enjoying later on!
Happy holidays! Have a great one and eat lots of cookies! 🙂
Thanks, Pamela! Have a wonderful holidays too! Ugh so over cookies!
I could totally go for a bowl of this stew right now, Lindsey! It looks like the perfect comfort food! I've never made a stew with lamb in it before, so I'm loving this. Sounds so rich and filling! Pinned!
Thanks, Gayle! Oh I love lamb stew!!! It just tastes a touch more hearty than beef and the meat is so tender! Thanks for the pin!