Sunday Supper: Spring Lamb Stew with beets and turnips

Way back, when my daughter was born, my sister Erica brought this meal to us on our first night home from the hospital. She was able to find baby beets and turnips, and the dinner was so delightful, not only because I had been eating hospital food for two days, but because my incredibly busy (and talented sister) had made dinner for us! 

Since our spring has been mixed with warm days, cool evenings and some rain, this dish felt like a nice way to bring in the new season. We served it with a 2005 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Ferrington Vineyard. 

Spring Lamb Stew
based on recipe for A New Navarin of Lamb from The New Basics Cookbook by Rosso & Lukins

• 3 pounds boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1 1/2″ cubes
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 cup dry red wine 
• 2 1/2 cups beef stock (I used chicken stock with the addition of a teaspoon of beef broth concentrate)
• 1 spring fresh rosemary
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 4 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 pound beets
• 1 pound young turnips (look for the smallest ones you can find)
• 1 bunch green onions, cleaned and cut into 2 inch pieces
• 4 Tablespoons butter

In small batches, in a dutch oven or other heavy enamel pot, brown the cubes of lamb. I browned my lamb in three batches, removing each batch to a bowl and allowing the pan to reheat slightly before adding the next bit. 

Once the meat is brown, add it all back into the dutch oven and sprinkle with flour and sugar. Mix to combine. Add in wine, stock, rosemary, garlic, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer 1 1/2 hours, or until lamb is tender.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400F. Scrub the beets and place in foiled lined baking pan. Add 1/2 cup of water and cover tightly. Bake in oven 1 hour 15 minutes, until tender. Allow to cool, then rub peel off and quarter or halve beets. Set aside.

Bring large pot of water to boil. Scrub turnips, and when water boils, add turnips to boiling water and cook until tender, 10-20 minutes (depends on the size). Remove from boiling water and allow to cool. Peel and quarter, set aside.

In the same pot of boiling water, add the spring onions and cook for 2-3 minutes, until tender. Remove and drain well. Set aside.

When ready to serve, heat butter in large sauté pan. Add in all vegetables and sauté until heated through. To serve, spoon one cup of the lamb into the bottom of bowl, top with the vegetables.