Ragout of Lamb
Ingredients
- 2 lb lamb neck (either middle neck or scrag end or a mixture of both)
- Salt (Sea) (as desired)
- freshly ground black pepper (as desired)
- 1 T oil
- 2 c chopped onions (roughly chopped)
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- 1 T flour (heaped)
- 20 fl oz boiling water (570mL)
- 1/2 t dried thyme (or 1 sprig fresh)
- 1 bay leaf
- 12 oz new potatoes (cleaned but not peeled [350g])
- 4 tomatoes (medium, peeled)
Method
Preheat the oven to 275F / 140C / Gas 1.
First trim any excess fat from the meat, dry each piece with paper towels, and season them with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a 3 quart oven-proof pot, and brown the meat a few pieces at a time. When they're nicely brown transfer them to a plate using a slotted spoon.
Now gently fry the onions in the fat left in the pot - this will take about 10 minutes or so. Then, when the onions are softened and browned a little bit round the edges, add the garlic. Next, stir in the flour to soak up the juices, and gradually pour in the hot water, stirring to make a sort of gravy.
Bring the mixture to a simmer, then return the pieces of meat to the pot and add the thyme, bay leaf, and more salt and pepper to taste. It won't look like much at this point, but not to worry.
As soon as it comes back to a simmer, put the lid on and transfer the casserole to the oven. Cook it for about 1 hour, then tilt the pot and spoon off any visible fat (or mop it up with absorbent paper towels) before adding the potatoes and tomatoes. Put the lid back on and return to the oven to cook for a further 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked.