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A little St. Patrick's Day treat for you folks. I grew up in my Irish Catholic grandmother's house and the staple dish for St. Patrick's day was lamb stew. It's a great recipe on it's own, but my favorite was the shepherd's pie made from the leftover stew. I never got my hands on her recipe, but this one is every bit as outrageously good. Because remember boys and girls, corned beef is not Irish.
Trim and cube 2 1/2 lbs of boneless leg of lamb into 3/4 inch pieces. Salt and pepper the meat while heating a tablespoon of veggie oil in a dutch oven (cast iron pan will work too, if it is deep enough to build a stew) over med-high heat until the oil is simmering. Drop in half of the lamb and brown for about 10 minutes. Dump lamb into a bowl and add another tablespoon of oil to repeat for the rest of the lamb.
Mince an onion, a clove of garlic and chop two peeled carrots into quarter inch thick slices. Add another tablespoon of veggie oil into the dutch oven over med-high heat again until it simmers. Add the onion and carrots and cook down until soft...about five minutes. Stir in the garlic with a tablespoon of tomato paste. Stir in two tablespoons of AP flour and let cook for just a minute. Then whisk in 2 1/4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth, 1/4 cup of dry red wine and a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce while scraping up all those wonderful browned bits. Stir in the lamb and add 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Cook about a half hour until the lamb is tender.
For the topping you will need to peel four or five russet potatoes and cut them into 2 inch cubes. Place the potatoes in another pot or large saucepan and cover with water. Cook for about 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are tender enough to mash. Drain the pot and mash the potatoes adding a full stick of melted butter (unsalted) and 3/4 of a cup of hot milk (whole milk is best)...stir until the potatoes are incorporated with the milk and butter. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in two egg yolks.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Then stir one cup of frozen peas into your lamb mixture and pour the entire mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Use a spoon to spread your mashed potatoes over the entire dish...all the way to the edges to create a tight seal over your lamb mixture. Bake in the oven about 20-25 minutes until the top layer is golden brown. Let it rest about ten minutes before serving.
Dig into it like a birthday cake!
Trim and cube 2 1/2 lbs of boneless leg of lamb into 3/4 inch pieces. Salt and pepper the meat while heating a tablespoon of veggie oil in a dutch oven (cast iron pan will work too, if it is deep enough to build a stew) over med-high heat until the oil is simmering. Drop in half of the lamb and brown for about 10 minutes. Dump lamb into a bowl and add another tablespoon of oil to repeat for the rest of the lamb.
Mince an onion, a clove of garlic and chop two peeled carrots into quarter inch thick slices. Add another tablespoon of veggie oil into the dutch oven over med-high heat again until it simmers. Add the onion and carrots and cook down until soft...about five minutes. Stir in the garlic with a tablespoon of tomato paste. Stir in two tablespoons of AP flour and let cook for just a minute. Then whisk in 2 1/4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth, 1/4 cup of dry red wine and a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce while scraping up all those wonderful browned bits. Stir in the lamb and add 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Cook about a half hour until the lamb is tender.
For the topping you will need to peel four or five russet potatoes and cut them into 2 inch cubes. Place the potatoes in another pot or large saucepan and cover with water. Cook for about 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are tender enough to mash. Drain the pot and mash the potatoes adding a full stick of melted butter (unsalted) and 3/4 of a cup of hot milk (whole milk is best)...stir until the potatoes are incorporated with the milk and butter. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in two egg yolks.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Then stir one cup of frozen peas into your lamb mixture and pour the entire mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Use a spoon to spread your mashed potatoes over the entire dish...all the way to the edges to create a tight seal over your lamb mixture. Bake in the oven about 20-25 minutes until the top layer is golden brown. Let it rest about ten minutes before serving.
Dig into it like a birthday cake!