A Lighter Lamb Stew
Author Notes: Homemade chicken stock and Guinness replace the thick, traditional gravy of many lamb stews and give this stew a broth-y sauce pepped up with lemon zest and fresh herbs. The finished stew is tender enough to be pulled apart with two spoons. Tip: add a little more stock when reheating leftovers. —Lizthechef
Food52 Review: This is exactly what I wanted after the heavy holiday meals I had been eating for the last few weeks; Lizthechef's light lamb stew is perfection. The broth is complex and flavorful -- really, this is more like a hearty soup. Roasting the lamb on a bed of vegetables flavored with herbs, stock, and Guinness yields a really tender piece of meat that is easily pulled apart with a fork. And I love that everything is done in the oven. I bet this would be just as good made with a beef roast! —sdebrango
Serves: 6
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1
24-ounce bag of baby Dutch potatoes
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4
Large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
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1
Large yellow onion, chopped
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1
3-pound boneless lamb roast
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1
6-inch piece fresh rosemary
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5
sprigs fresh thyme
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5
sprigs flat-leaved parsley
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Zest of 1 lemon
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4
Garlic cloves, chopped
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3
tablespoons olive oil
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Kosher salt and ground black pepper
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1
11 or 12-ounce bottle Guinness beer
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2
cups homemade or low sodium chicken stock
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2
cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
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1 1/2
cups large frozen green peas
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Layer the potatoes, then the carrots and onions in a large, heavy-bottomed pot.
- Remove the netting from the lamb, open up the roast and place it, cut side down, on top of the vegetables. Using your hand, coat the roast with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Combine the rosemary, thyme and parsley into a small bundle and tie with kitchen string. Tuck it under the lamb.
- Sprinkle the lemon zest and garlic over the lamb.
- Pour beer and chicken stock over the vegetables.
- Cover and cook for 3 hours. Add the mushrooms and cook for 30 minutes more.
- Remove pot from oven, add the peas and cover for 5 more minutes.
- Remove the herb bundle. Using 2 spoons or forks, pull the lamb apart into pieces and serve with the vegetables.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for The Best Thing You Ate This Year
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best One-Pot Meal
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Dinner That Makes a Good Lunch
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best One-Pot Meal
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Recipe with Beer
More Great Recipes:
Lamb|Entree|Christmas|Fall|Father's Day|Winter
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This was easy and very tasty. Nice for St. Paddy's day if you don't want to eat Corned Beef.
Could this be made with pre-cubed 1-inch pieces of lamb neck?
Just made this tonight and it was delicious! The lamb had a great flavor. I used a 5 qt. dutch oven, although the ingredients just barely fit. A 7 qt. would have been easier. I suggest cooking the mushrooms before adding during the last 30 minutes of cooking (along with the pan juices) and cutting the onion and potatoes in wedges (as helpful commenter Le Bec Fin recommended in the questions section).
I tried this with lamb shanks (and tarragon and sage, since that's what I had around), then adjusted the recipe for pressure cooking. Delicious and really fast!
Hi! I don't eat lamb - could beef be substituted? Many thanks.
Yes, I have done a pot roast with this.
Karin, I prefer low sodium chicken stock. Feel free to add some extra fresh, chopped parsley or thyme - a shot of low sodium soy sauce?
Hi - thanks. love the idea of parsley and soy sauce. Karin
Hello...what is a substitute for the beer that adds flavor, but not alcohol?
Can I use the slow cooker for this recipe? Would I have to cook the Guinness in a pan first before I dump it in with the rest of the ingredients?
It should work OK - and I would add the Guinness at the beginning of your cooking. But I have never tried the slow cooker for this recipe.
Which Guinness did you use? Bottle of Extra Stout or Canned Draught? Can't wait to make this!
I always prefer beer/stout in a glass bottle to a can. This is one great lamb recipe, I must say - the chicken stock really makes the difference.
Thank you so much for the testing and Community Pick - I am just home from vacation and apologize for having missed this earlier -
I've a lamb shoulder in my freezer that's got this written all over it. Can't wait.
We loved this. Thanks for a keeper!
Glad you liked it -
Suzanne is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Liz this stew was phenomenal, I plan on making it many times this winter.
Thanks sdebrango and many thanks for testing it - glad it worked for you.
Suzanne is a trusted source on General Cooking.
One of my favorite meals to date. Delicious.
Mmmmmm! Love the lemon zest touch.
Where's my photo? Loaded it twice...
Showing 22 out of 22 comments