Whistlestop Cafe Cooking: Flavors ~Lamb~ 'Roasted Lamb Stew with Apple Cider and Herbs'

Thursday, April 05, 2012

Flavors ~Lamb~ 'Roasted Lamb Stew with Apple Cider and Herbs'

Y'all know by now the flavor for the week is Lamb.
When ever I am trying to come up with a 'new' recipe for our weekly challenge, my first step is to google the ingredients I think I want to combine. (In an effort NOT to recreate somone else's recipe)
So this week I googled Lamb, Apples, Potatoes, Stew.

Look what I came up with . . . Dog Food .
No Kidding!
At least Buddy will love this stew~
As usual, I have capitalized the flavors that are recommended in the Flavor Bible.
Roasted Lamb Stew with Apple Cider and Herbs
1 ONION
1/2 cup CELERY
5 GARLIC cloves
2 Tbs flour
1 pound lamb
1 cup OLIVE OIL, divided
fresh SAGE, ROSEMARY, THYME
2 BAY LEAVES
3 cups APPLE CIDER
1 cup BEEF STOCK
1 teaspoon SALT
1/2 tablespoon freshly ground BLACK PEPPER
1 cup baby CARROTS
1 cup pearl ONIONS
1 APPLE
Remove most of the fat and cut the lamb into 1-inch cubes. Chop 2-3 bunches of sage. Dust the cubes of meat and sage with flour.

Add some of the olive oil to a large heavy pot and heat over high heat. When the oil is hot, carefully add the chunks. Cook the lamb, in batches until browned. Be careful not to burn the sage. Transfer the lamb to plate. Quick fry the diced onion and celery in the same hot skillet until tender. Add the apple cider to the skillet, over high heat, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook the cider until reduced by about half and the solids have come up off the pan. Add the lamb chunks back to the pot with remaining herbs and stock over the lamb.
Cover the pan with a lid and braise until the lamb is tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
Once the lamb is tender, add the pearl onions, carrots and diced apple to the pan. Continue to simmer until carrots are tender. Add salt, pepper, and more fresh herbs, to taste.