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Lamb Navarin (Navarin d’Agneau)
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Lamb Navarin (Navarin d'Agneau)

Lamb Navarin is a spring stew that is hearty, but lighter tasting than beef stew.
Course Main Course, Meat, Stew
Cuisine French
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 pounds lamb stew meat (see Kitchen Notes)
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more, if needed
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 large clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 4 tablespoons flour, divided
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 cups dry white wine
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 medium turnips, about 12 ounces total, peeled, cut into bite-sized chunks
  • 4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal
  • 3 small to medium shallots, peeled and quartered (see Kitchen Notes)
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 12 ounces new red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into bite-sized chunks
  • 1 cup of peas, fresh or frozen (thawed, if frozen)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Cut any overly large chunks of lamb into bite-sized pieces and season lamb generously with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium flame. Working in batches, brown the lamb (you may need to drizzle in a little more oil between batches). During the last batch, reduce heat slightly. Transfer lamb to bowl and set aside.
  • Add onion to pot and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Don't let it brown. Add garlic and tomato paste and sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of flour. Cook, stirring frequently, until tomato paste and flour are slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add water and wine to pot and scrape up browned bits. Add thyme and bay leaf and return lamb to pot, along with any accumulated juices. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Cover Dutch oven and transfer to oven. Braise for about 30 to 40 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add turnips, carrots and shallots and sprinkle with sugar. Toss to coat and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened and browned slightly, about 10 minutes.
  • Add browned vegetables (don't fret if they don't brown) and potatoes to Dutch oven and return to oven. Braise until vegetables are tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer Dutch oven to stovetop.
  • Wipe vegetable skillet clean and melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is nicely browned and the flour has lost its raw taste, about 5 minutes. (You're making a blond roux to thicken the stew's liquid—see Kitchen Notes for other options.) Add roux and peas to Dutch oven, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes or so, until peas are just cooked. Ladle stew into shallow bowls and serve. Some crusty bread makes a good accompaniment.

Kitchen Notes

Lamb stew meat? Some places stock this and call it this. You can also use boneless lamb shoulder and cut it into chunks. In a pinch, you can even use bone-in lamb shoulder chops and cut them up; just buy extra to compensate for the weight of the bones.
Shallots or… Nearly all versions of this dish use a couple members of the allium family. You start with a yellow onion to flavor the overall braise. In this recipe, shallots are added later, offering the occasional mild oniony bite. Some recipes call for spring or green onions. You could also use leeks. When preparing the shallots for this version, peel off the dry outer skins, separate individual lobes, then slice them once crosswise and once lengthwise to quarter them. As they cook, they will probably further separate into smaller pieces. That's fine.
In the thick of it. To me, making the roux is the most French way to thicken the stew's sauce, so that's why I did it. You could make a beurre manié instead, kneading together soft butter and flour and adding it to the sauce, also very French. But the roux avoids the raw flour taste and is far less messy to deal with. You could also thicken the sauce with cornstarch dissolved in cold water. And finally, you could say screw it and not bother to thicken the sauce. Only don't do this. A velvety sauce gives the whole dish a nice finish.