eh, I'm giving myself a miss for the holiday week.

[madbaker]

Last week's This week's Resolution Recipe, because I got this done late last week but don't have one queued up for this week:Lamb Neck Boulangère.

12 1" thick slices lamb neck, excess fat trimmed (or 4 lamb shanks or 4 shoulder chops) (I used shoulder chops - couldn't get lamb neck on short notice)
2 Tbsp neutral oil (I used rapeseed)
2 Tbsp butter
3 jumbo onions, sliced thin
1 head garlic, peeled and trimmed (Ha! I used... actually that amount.)
6 branches thyme
6 branches rosemary
1 carrot peeled and cut into fourths
1 bottle dry white wine
3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4" thick slices

Heat oven to 325. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season meat with salt and pepper. Add oil to pot and sear meat until well browned, 5-7 minutes per side. Remove to a plate.

Add butter and onions to pot, reducing heat slightly. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions soften, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, carrot, and herbs. Return the meat to the pot, ideally in a single layer. Pour in wine and add water if necessary to just cover meat. Cover pot and place in the oven. Bake for 2 1/2 hours.

Add the potatoes on top of the meat, making sure they are at least coated in the cooking liquid. Continue baking and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 35 minutes. Serve with crusty bread for soaking up broth.

What worked: This was a good hearty (and very rich) meal for a cool evening. A half recipe was more than enough for the two of us. It was like a pot-au-feu: braised/boiled meat and potatoes, without too much additional to distract from the base flavors. Different from many of our usual braises which are tomato-based (which does cut the sometimes over-richness).

What didn't: Lots of leftover fatty broth, which I suppose we could have saved for a future soup base. But we didn't.

Will I make it again? Yes, I'd like to try it with actual lamb neck.

Comments

[desperance.livejournal.com]

(Ha! I used... actually that amount.)

Heh. Unheard-of! *sends more garlic*

I still miss being able to stroll up to my local cornershop and buy a sheep's neck. It had become my favourite cut: ridiculously cheap and deeply flavourful. I still can't get over the price of lamb and the unavailability of mutton hereabouts.

And your dinner sounds lovely, but I can't believe you didn't keep the broth.

[madbaker.livejournal.com]

Our freezer is over-full. There wasn't room to keep leftover lamb juice/broth for future use.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Ah, right. I get that too. I hate that.

[madbaker.livejournal.com]

And yet I have resisted getting a stand-alone freezer. Because if we get one, we will just fill it. Both our houses have a hoarding tendency.