Spring lamb and vegetable stew with mint gremolata 

Ingredients:

1.25-1.5kg diced boned shoulder of lamb(50g pieces),

2 tablespoons sunflower oil,

50g butter,

1 large onion, finely chopped,

3 garlic cloves, crushed,

1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced,

1 teaspoon sugar,

20g flour,

600ml lamb or chicken stock,

2 sprigs of fresh thyme,

2 bay leaves,

1 pared strip of lemon zest,

200g small new potatoes, scraped or peeled,

50g French green beans, topped, tailed and halved,

200g button onions or small shallots, peeled,

150g small or baby carrots, tops trimmed,

200g small turnips, peeled and cut into wedges,

200g fresh or frozen peas,

Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

For the mint gremolata:

1 fat garlic clove,

1 strip lemon zest,

8-10 mint leaves,

A small handful flat-leaf parsley leaves.

Method

1. Trim away any excess fat from the lamb and season it lightly with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the oil and a small knob of the butter in a large flameproof casserole, add half of the lamb pieces, and fry briskly over a medium-high heat until nicely browned. Lift onto a plate and repeat with the remaining lamb. Pour away the fat left in the pan, add the rest of the butter and when it has melted, add the chopped onion, garlic, carrot and sugar and fry until the onions are golden brown.
3. Add the flour and cook gently for 1 minute, then gradually stir in the stock. Return the lamb to the casserole and add the thyme, bay leaves, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, cover and leave to simmer gently for 40 minutes.
4. Now uncover the casserole and add the potatoes. Leave to simmer for 10 minutes, then add the beans and cook for a further 5 minutes, by which time they should both be tender.
5. Meanwhile, melt the rest of the butter in a saucepan. Add the button onions or shallots, cover and cook over a medium-heat, shaking the pan now and then until lightly golden brown. Uncover, add the carrots and turnips, 2 tablespoons of water and some salt and pepper. Re-cover and continue to cook over a gentle heat for 10 minutes, shaking the pan every now and then, until they are tender.
6. Remove the piece of lemon zest, the thyme twigs and bay leaves from the stew. Stir in all the vegetables with the peas and simmer for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, finely chop together the garlic, lemon, mint leaves and parsley to make the gremolata. Stir the gremolata into the stew with a little more seasoning if necessary and serve with lots of mashed potatoes.

Recipe by Debbie Major