Lamb Navarin

5 from 2 votes

Recipe video above. One of the great French stews (ragoûts). Lamb Navarin is comfort food at its best where lamb is slowly braised until meltingly soft in a rich sauce with potatoes and vegetables to soak up all that flavour.

Like many stews, it's even better the next day so for the best result, start it the day before and gently reheat to serve. Don't forget the bread, you are going to need it!

Prep Time45

Cook Time2 30

Total Time3 15

Course: Dinner, Lamb, Main Course

Cuisine: French

Keyword: french lamb recipe, french lamb stew, lamb navarin, lamb stew

Servings:

Calories: 169cal

Author: Chef JB (RecipeTin)

Ingredients

BROWNING LAMB:

1.25kg / 2.75lbs boneless lamb shoulder , excess fat trimmed, cut into 5cm / 2" pieces (Note 1)
1 3/4 tsp cooking / kosher salt , (or half for table salt, +50% for flakes)
2 tbsp vegetable oil or other plain oil

STEW:

8 (500g/1lb) baby potatoes , peeled and cut in half
1 large turnip (~350g/12oz), peeled, cut into 8 wedges then cut each wedge in half (Note 4)
8 pearl onions or small round pickling onions , peeled (Note 5)
2 large carrots (~200g/7oz each), peeled, cut in half lengthways then into 2cm / 0.8" pieces
3 garlic cloves , finely minced
3 tbsp tomato paste
1/3 cup plain flour / all-purpose flour
1 cup chardonnay or any other dry white wine (Note 2)
1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock /broth (low sodium) (Note 3)
1 tsp cooking / kosher salt , (or half for table salt, +50% for flakes)
1 tsp black pepper
3 sprigs thyme , fresh (sub: 1/2 tsp dried)
2 bay leaves , fresh (sub: dried)
1 cup frozen peas

For serving

Warm crusty bread

Cups - Metric

Instructions

ABBREVIATED RECIPE:

Season lamb. Brown in batches, remove. Brown onions, remove. Cook carrots 2 minutes, then garlic. Stir in tomato paste, 1 minute. Return lamb. Stir in flour, 1 minute. Add wine, then stock. Stir in salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaves.
Bring to a simmer. Cover and bake at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) for 1 hour. Stir in potatoes, turnips and onions. Cover and bake 1 1/2 hours. Stir in peas. Taste and add more salt if needed.

FULL RECIPE:

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
Season lamb - Spread lamb out onto a tray. Pat dry with paper towels then sprinkle with salt.
Brown lamb - Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based, oven-proof pot over high heat (mine is 24cm / 9.5"). Add 1/3 lamb and brown aggressively all over (about 3 minutes). Remove into tray, then repeat with remaining lamb.
Brown onions - Turn the heat down to medium high and add the onions. Cook for 2 minutes stirring regularly until brown all over. Remove into a bowl.
Sauté carrots & garlic - Add the carrot and cook for 2 minutes stirring regularly until it starts to soften. Add garlic and cook for 20 seconds.
Tomato paste and lamb - Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly. Add the lamb back in the pot including any juices that are on the tray. Stir to combine.
Flour - Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
Add wine and stock - Pour the wine, stir until the lamb is coated in a pale red, loose paste then add the stock and stir gently until combined.
Seasoning - Add salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaves and stir well.

SLOW-COOK:

Oven 1 hour - Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to oven for 1 hour. (See note 6 for other cook methods)
Potato, turnip & onions - Remove from the oven, stir in potato, turnip and onions. Submerge ingredients as best as you can, if some of the vegetables or meat are still peeking above the sauce, that's perfectly fine.
Oven 1 1/2 hours - Cover with lid and return to the oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until the lamb is “fall-apart tender”.
Peas - Add the frozen peas, stir VERY gently using a rubber spatula, cover and leave it for 2 minutes.
Adjust salt - Remove from oven, taste sauce and add salt if needed. (Note 6)
Leave overnight (optional) - If time permits, leave the stew overnight before serving. Like all good stews, the flavours only get better the next day. Reheat it gently over a low heat before serving.
Serve - Serve hot with some warm crusty bread to soak up all that beautiful sauce! Enjoy! 😊

Notes

1. Lamb shoulder - The best cut for this recipe. Its marbling keeps the meat juicy as it slowly cooks until fall-apart tender. Trim off large fat chunks, leaving some for flavour. Aim for 1.25kg / 2.75lb after trimming.

Buy a whole shoulder and cut it into large chunks yourself - pre-cut pieces are usually too small and overcook before the sauce is at its best. Avoid lean cuts like lamb leg, which tend to dry out.

2. Wine - Chardonnay is my favourite wine for cooking. I love the flavour it brings to sauces. In fact, it's the same wine I use in my Chicken Chasseur. There's no need to buy an expensive bottle, the subtle aromas you're paying for are mostly lost during cooking anyway. Use non-alcohol wine for an alcohol-free version or simply replace it with more low-sodium chicken stock.

3. Chicken Stock - This is great using store bought liquid stock, that's what I use for everyday purposes. But if you've got the time to make your own homemade stock, it will definitely bring it to the next level.

4. Turnip - A classic French stew vegetable with a peppery, earthy flavour that becomes beautifully tender when slow cooked. It can be a little tricky to find in Australia, depending on the season. If you can't find it, use swede (rutabaga) instead. It is similar, a little sweeter and firmer, but works very well here.

5. Onions - Pearl onions are tiny onions that can be hard to find in Australia. Pickling onions are the best substitute. They're usually a little larger, so simply peel away an extra layer or two until they're about 2.5 cm / 1 inch across. Soaking them in cold water for 10–15 minutes softens the skins and makes them much easier to peel.

If you can't find any of them, just use 2 brown or yellow onions instead. Halve them, then cut into 1 cm / 0.4" slices.

6. Other cook methods - This can also be cooked on the stove on very, very low heat for the same time, but stir regularly and carefully so the meat and vegetables don't break. I don't recommend using a slow cooker as the same flavour just doesn't develop.

7. Salt is one thing you should always adjust at the end. How much you'll need depends on whether you're using homemade or store-bought stock. Taste first, then season as needed.

Leftovers and storage - It will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge then reheat gently. You may need to add a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce.

Nutrition per serving.

Nutrition