Lamb and bacon stew

A Nigel Slater inspired dish, and as with all his dishes, the balance of flavours comes through so well to create a very tasty meal with lamb, pancetta lardons, rosemary, potatoes and sour cream. This is a very easy dish to cook

My wife thinks that the sauce is too “runny” but I like it as it is, and it is so tasty “slopping it up” with a baguette and the green vegetable(s) that you choose to accompany the stew – broccolini, broccoli and green beans work well but equally you could use cauliflower, cabbage …whatever you like. You can always thicken the sauce

You could use chicken thighs if you prefer 

Ingredients

1 kilo lamb shoulder cubed – ideally into not too small pieces

2 tbs olive oil

3 large onions- roughly chopped

1 litre chicken stock

200 gms pancetta lardons finely diced or 250gms streaky bacon, finely sliced

2-3 sprigs rosemary

750 gms waxy potatoes – try to get small potatoes and halve

125 ml punnet of sour cream

1 packet broccolini or equivalent of other green vegetable (you can cook two if you like)

 Cooking instructions

1. Lightly coat the lamb in some flour seasoned with salt and cracked pepper
2. Brown lightly on all sides in a pan in the olive oil and remove from the pan
3. Add the onion and bacon to the pan and cook until golden – will take at least 5 mins
4. Add the potatoes, rosemary and stock to the pan and then return the lamb
5. Bring to the boil and then simmer gently for 45 minutes or until the lamb and potatoes are tender
6. Towards the end of the cook, steam or boil the broccolini or whatever greens you are cooking!
7. Check the seasoning and adjust to taste
8. Spoon in the sour cream, stir in and leave to warm through but don’t bring back to the boil

Serves 4