The addition of spicy sausage makes the stew especially rich and delicious. To keep the dish mild, however, feel free to use any sweet sausage you like!
A hearty recipe for cold weather
With most of the holiday decorations back in storage for the year and what seems like daily “gale warnings” popping up in my weather notifications this past week, it looks like that time of year is fully upon us here in the Northeast: full-on winter, without the holiday cheer to distract us all from the fact that 1) it still gets dark by 4:45 PM and 2) spring is still months away. It is times like these that call for a lamb stew. Looking to escape the city and cozy up to a fire somewhere, Justin (see: Iceland for context) and this branch of The Woks of Life tree headed up to the mountains last Friday for a weekend in Woodstock, NY. The minute I set foot into our small but well-appointed cabin and saw the adorable, utilitarian kitchen, I knew I wanted to cook a recipe in it. We headed into town, and walked out of a store called Woodstock Meats with a packet of Hudson Valley lamb, some extra spicy house-made hot Italian sausage, and some organic winter vegetables that had the food blogger part of my brain rushing back to our cozy cabin faster than the car could go, ready to whip out the cutting board and my iPhone camera to make some magic. Then and there, I developed this recipe, and have since made it several times. On subsequent tries, I didn’t have any changes to make to it. It’s simply delicious.
A Very Special Lamb Stew
This winter lamb stew with spicy sausage isn’t your average lamb stew. While it does use a familiar formula of meat, root vegetables, red wine, stock, and tomato, the curveball in this recipe is the spicy sausage. That house-made sausage we got from the local butcher? It had a major kick to it. The minute that stuff hit the pan, I was sneezing up a storm and cracking the window by the stove to get some fresh air into the place. But the resulting stew was mellow, with a warm heat throughout that took a basic stew recipe and kicked it up a notch. (Side note: just had a major flashback to age 9, watching Emeril Live with my dad. BAM! Anyone?) I found that the fat and spices in the sausage really balanced the lamb flavors well. That said, if you’re spice averse, a sweet Italian sausage (or any sweet sausage you like) would be great in this recipe too. If you don’t eat pork, you could use merguez or chicken sausage instead of pork sausage. With the wood stove warming up the room, some Billie Holiday in the background, and warm stew on the hob, you forget about the gale warnings and the fact that you have to pour antifreeze down the shower drain in your little cabin (true story), and suddenly, winter doesn’t seem so bad after all. If you want to keep things even simpler, opt for warm crusty bread. If you have slices, you can toast them in a pan on the stove or the oven with olive oil. If you have a whole loaf, we suggest wrapping it in foil, and heating it in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the loaf. This way, you’ll have warm bread with a nice outer crust that’s still soft in the middle. Perfect for soaking up the stew. Ok, on to the recipe!
Lamb Stew Recipe Instructions
Gather your ingredients. Here’s what we got…some spicy Italian sausage, boneless leg of lamb cut into chunks, salt and pepper, onion, garlic, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, thyme parsley, wine, tomato sauce, and beef broth: Amazing what such humble ingredients can make! Start by heating 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Remove the sausage from their casings and fry in the oil until browned. If you want your stew as spicy as the one I made, you may want to add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes at this step, because that sausage we bought was hotter than average! Set aside on a plate. Meanwhile, season the lamb chunks with salt and pepper, and toss in ¼ cup all purpose flour. Shake off any excess flour and add the lamb to the pot (reserve the flour for use later––it’s going to help thicken the stew). Sear the lamb on all sides––do not move it until it has browned on each side. Remove the lamb from the pot and set aside with the sausage. Add the onion and garlic cloves to the pan, and deglaze those brown bits at the bottom of the pan with a splash of water or stock. Season with salt and pepper, and cook the onions and garlic for 5 minutes, until the onions begin to turn translucent. Add the remaining flour to the onions and stir. Cook for another minute. You’ll notice the flour coating the onions, creating an almost paste-like texture. Add the broth and wine, and bring to a simmer. We used a local-ish red wine from the Finger Lakes that we found at the local wine shop. We’re not uh, particularly discerning wine drinkers. (My method is usually to look for the label I like the best. SUPER classy, I know.) This bottle was $11 (what a price!), and you just can’t beat the label and name when it comes to being on-theme for this lamb dinner. Then add the seared lamb and sausage back to the pot. Also add the tomato sauce, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, and thyme. Stir, and season the stew with salt and pepper. At this point, you’ve completed most of the work involved in making this recipe. Woo! You’ve added all those delicious ingredients to the pot, and now all you have to is wait. Bring to a simmer, cover, and turn the heat down to low. It should be bubbling slowly. Let the stew bubble gently for 90 minutes. Now’s a good time to check in on your fire, get into a good book, watch a movie, etc. Because before you know it, that pot of liquid, meat, and vegetables will have turned into this: And the lamb will be beautifully tender! Adjust seasoning to taste (salt and pepper!), and serve this glorious, spicy winter lamb stew over buttered noodles and garnish with chopped parsley. Also serve with some of that nice $11 wine––or a slightly nicer one, if you’re so inclined. ;) Enjoy everyone, and stay warm!
