Home Cooking Column - By Barbara Collins

Easter is the perfect time for lamb. This dish is a French bistro classic. The vegetables make it a one-pot meal which suits the changeable weather. It’s even better the next day. Serve with good crusty bread and a bottle of red wine and feel the pleasure of having eaten very well indeed.

Ingredients

1 kg boneless shoulder of lamb, cut into 2cm dice
25g butter
1 tablespoon plain flour
1 tablespoon tomato purée
about 1 litre chicken or lamb stock
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon sugar
1 bouquet garni (a sprig of rosemary, a sprig of thyme and a bay leaf, tied together
8 new potatoes, scrubbed and halved
8 carrots, scrubbed, halved if large
8 small onions or shallots, or 2 large onions cut into quarters
5 turnips, peeled and cut into quarters 
1 tablespoon chopped parsley 

Method

Sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper and leave for 1 hour.

Heat the butter in a large, heavy-based pan, add the lamb (in batches if necessary) and cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, until browned all over. Add the flour and cook, stirring, over a low heat for about 4 minutes.

Add the tomato purée and then gradually stir in half the stock until you have a smooth sauce. Add the garlic, sugar and bouquet garni, plus enough of the remaining stock just to cover the lamb. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Add the root vegetables and onions and cook, uncovered, for 45 minutes, until tender. Skim off any surface fat, season to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes, then scatter with the parsley and serve.

Tip

Shoulder of lamb is an inexpensive cut with bags of flavour.

Contact Barbara @thegoodchinaset or on collib40@googlemail.com.

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