Page: 186
Date Cooked: February 13, 2011
"Braised Lamb Shoulder with Fried Shallots" is Jonathan Waxman's take on a classic French daube - a stew with meat (traditionally beef), wine, garlic, and herbs. If you ask me, I think braising meat is such a smart way to get a really hearty meal and it's difficult to mess up. Now I must state upfront, that I couldn't get lamb shoulder and had to make a substitution (my first one in this journey) - hence I used lamb leg. The biggest difference is that lamb leg is obviously a bit leaner than shoulder, which I was OK with.
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| Ingredients: Olive oil, salt, pepper, boneless lamb leg roast, Chianti, white onion, carrot, leek, garlic, jalapeño, kalmata olives, bay leaf, thyme, canned plum tomatoes, shallots, and all-purpose flour |
The lamb piece is initially salt and peppered and then seared on all sides with olive oil. Once seared, the lamb is removed from the dish and Chianti is used to deglaze the pot. The lamb is then placed back in the dish and set aside.
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| From Left to Right: 1. Pre-seared lamb 2. Seared Lamb 3. Lamb with Chianti |
Next, the onions, carrots, leeks, garlic, jalapeño, olives, and tomatoes are cut and chopped. All of vegetables along with the bay leaf and thyme were added to the casserole dish, scattered around the lamb. Water was added to the casserole dish as well - just until about the top of the lamb. The dish is then covered and placed in the oven to braise for 4 hours.
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| Seared lamb with vegetables and herbs |
A few minutes before the 4 hours were up - I begin preparing the fried shallots. The shallots were thinly sliced and tossed in some flour. Finally they were fried in batches in hot olive oil. Once they achieved a crispy look, the shallots were removed from the oil and salted.
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| From Left to Right: 1. Thinly sliced shallots 2. Shallots tossed in flour 3. Frying shallots in olive oil |
Finally, the fat was skimmed off the top of the stew and the bay leaf discarded. I was afraid that the lamb wasn't going to be tender enough (it looked as if it was still in it's entirety - see picture below) but surely as Jonathan Waxman makes notes, it broke apart in large chunks with no effort.
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| After 4 hours of braising in the oven |
A good piece of the lamb, the braising liquid, and some vegetables were spooned into a bowl. Finally, the stew was topped with the fried shallots.
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| Braised Lamb Leg with Fried Shallots |
The stew was yummy. The lamb perfectly tender - it just melted in your mouth. Also, the braising liquid was incredibly flavorful. Moreover, I was somewhat amazed that the vegetables hadn't become a soggy mess. Don't get me wrong they were soft but still maintained remnants of their solid form. The crispy shallots on top provided a nice textural contrast and a little additional salt, which was appreciated. On a personal note, the fried shallots made me reminisce about my mom's Indian cooking (fried onions are used in a number of Indian dishes).
The one thing I do need to comment on however is Jonathan Waxman's idea of portions. This isn't a novel thing in his recipes thus far, but I feel as it must be mentioned. I actually halved this recipe. However, the original recipe called for a 6 pound boneless lamb shoulder - which was estimated to make 6-8 servings. That's almost a pound of lamb + braising liquid + vegetables per person. A lot of food. I'm pretty sure using an approximately 3 pound boneless lamb leg gave me 6-8 servings. Luckily, I really like the stew because otherwise I'm not sure what I would do with 2 containers of braised lamb leg!
All in all, it was a great recipe and quite simple to make. Everything really cooks in its own juices and flavors and you get to really savor that, all with a touch of Chianti.
Enjoy!
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