Navarin d’agneau — lamb stew with spring vegetables

Pat the meat dry and cut it into evenly sized pieces about 4 cm across. Mix with 8 g salt and all the pepper. Finely chop the regular onion for the sauce and thinly slice the garlic. Tie the thyme sprigs together so they are easy to remove after braising. Have ready a wide, heavy pot with a lid and a capacity of about 5 l. Prepare the vegetables to be added later while the meat is braising.

Heat half the olive oil in the pot over medium-high heat. Brown half the meat for about 6–8 minutes, turning until the pieces are browned on several sides. Transfer to a plate. Add the remaining oil and brown the second batch in the same way. Leave some space between the pieces so the lamb fries and does not simmer in its own juices. Keep all the fat, browned residue and juices from the plate; do not burn the bottom of the pot.

Lower the heat and cook the chopped onion in the same pot for about 4 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and all the tomato paste and stir for a minute. Return all the meat with its juices, sprinkle over all the flour and stir for another minute. Gradually pour in all the water, stirring and scraping the browned residue from the bottom. Add the thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle simmer; the liquid should come roughly level with the tops of the meat pieces.

Cover the pot and simmer over low heat for about 60–75 minutes. The liquid should only bubble gently. Stir carefully from time to time, loosening the sauce from the bottom so the flour does not stick. Near the end, check a piece of meat: it should yield easily to a fork but still hold its shape. If it remains noticeably firm, braise for another 15–20 minutes before adding the vegetables. Do not pour off any sauce or fat.

Prepare the potatoes, turnips, carrots and small onions while the meat is braising. Cut the potatoes into pieces about 3 cm across, leaving the smallest whole. Cut the turnips into similarly sized wedges and the carrots into pieces about 3 cm long; halve the thicker ones lengthwise. Leave the small onions whole, trimming only the dry ends. All the listed weights refer to vegetables that have already been cleaned. Do not thaw the peas yet.

Add all the potatoes, turnips, carrots and small onions to the almost tender meat. Sprinkle in the remaining 4 g salt and mix gently to coat the vegetables with sauce. They do not need to be fully submerged. Cover and simmer gently for about 20–25 minutes, stirring carefully once. Near the end, the potatoes should be almost tender and the other vegetables should hold their shape. If the potatoes are still firm in the middle, extend this stage by a few minutes before adding the peas.

Add all the frozen peas and stir gently. Wait until the sauce returns to a gentle simmer, then cook for 5–7 minutes or for the time stated on the pea package. The peas should be hot and tender, and the potatoes fully cooked. If the sauce is still too thin, cook uncovered for the last few minutes; it should lightly coat the ingredients, not form a thick paste. Do not overcook the vegetables by reducing the sauce for too long.

Remove the bay leaf and tied thyme sprigs. Chop all the parsley, add it to the pot and mix it gently into the dish. Divide the meat, all the vegetables and all the sauce into six portions. Serve hot, with the potatoes already included in the dish. If saving some for later, transfer it to smaller containers, cool quickly and refrigerate. Use within 2–3 days, reheating only the portion needed until hot throughout.