R E C I P E S

Navarin Printanier (Spring Lamb Stew)

By Edward Behr

A navarin, though the original calls for mutton, is excellent with flavorful lamb. The name refers to navets, or turnips, and the spring version, a navarin printanier, combines mutton with new potatoes and other young vegetables ready in the garden or market; tomato is optional at any season. Reheated the next day, the stew has lost its freshness, partly because of the potatoes, and the dish is not nearly as good. The admirable and ever-meticulous Madame Saint-Ange, in La Bonne Cuisine de Madame Saint-Ange of 1927, asserts that a navarin is “one of those excellent simple dishes whose preparation demands the same time and close attention to details as a dish of the grande cuisine.” Citing its importance in home cooking, she devotes five dense — fanatical — pages to it; her chief fear is that the vegetables will be harmed by overcooking. She rounds the cut-up pieces of potato into the shape and size of “an elongated pigeon egg,” because sharp edges would disintegrate and thicken the sauce. She belabors her concerns, but care does yield more distinct, delicious flavors. In the following recipe, if the sometimes-called-for peas and green beans were added, they would go into the pot in the last minutes of cooking.

 

a lamb shoulder, weighing roughly 4½ pounds (2 kilos) with bones or half as much without

6 tablespoons lard (90 gr) or oil (90 ml)

¼ cup (35 gr) all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon sugar

½ cup (125 ml) peeled, seeded, and chopped fresh tomato, or canned tomato, broken up, optional

water

2 cloves garlic, peeled

a fat bouquet of herbs, including fresh parsley, fresh thyme, and bay leaf, tied with a string

salt

3 pounds (1.4 kg) spring root vegetables — mostly potatoes but also new turnips, small onions, and, optionally, carrots

black pepper

 

Trim surface fat from the shoulder, and cut it into roughly 2-inch (5-cm) pieces, discarding the bones or saving them for stock. Select a large, heavy oven pot, such as enameled cast iron, with a tight-fitting cover. Heat 4 tablespoons (60 gr) of the fat over medium-high heat, and in a single layer without crowding (or in two batches), brown the meat well on all sides, roughly 15 minutes. Sprinkle the flour and sugar over the meat; turn the pieces to cook the flour briefly and caramelize the sugar.

Heat the oven to 350° F (175° C). Add the tomato and enough water to immerse the meat almost completely. Crush the garlic cloves with the flat of a knife, and add them. Push the herb bouquet into the center of the pot. Bring the whole to a boil, stirring to prevent the flour from adhering to the bottom. Salt the liquid only lightly, to allow for reduction. Cover the pot and place it in the oven. After 30 minutes, lower the setting to 300° F (150° C). Bake until the meat is very tender, about another 1½ hours.

While the meat is cooking, peel the vegetables, except for small new potatoes, and as needed cut them into 1-inch (2- to 3-cm) pieces. Hold the potatoes and carrots in a bowl of cold water. Lightly brown the onions in the remaining 2 tablespoons of fat. If you use mature potatoes, add these and the carrots and onions to the navarin about 45 minutes before the meat is done, discarding the herb bouquet at the same time. Add young turnips and other spring vegetables, including small new potatoes, about 30 minutes before the meat is done. Pack the vegetables tightly in the pot, and add hot water only if necessary to cover them.

When the meat and vegetables are cooked, remove them to a warm dish. Tip the pot to reduce the surface area of liquid, and with a large, thin-edged metal spoon meticulously skim off all the fat. Strain the liquid into another container, and wipe or rinse away the debris clinging to the pot. Return the liquid to the pot. If this sauce is not just slightly thick, boil to reduce it. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Remove any outer gristle from the meat, and return the meat and vegetables to the pot. Bring the navarin momentarily to a boil, and serve promptly in deep, well-heated plates. Serves 4 to 6.

From The Art of Eating Cookbook