We were in Bordeaux, lost and wondering if we would ever find a restaurant that would produce a meal that didn’t have foam floating all over it. Up a cobblestone side street we saw people going into a nondescript doorway. We investigated and ended up having one of my favourite meals of all time. The restaurant was La Tupina. Drew’s Lamb Navarin reminds me of that afternoon. It’s a great meal on a cool day with a bottle of good red (or 2). You wont be disappointed.
Ingredients
Lamb Shoulder
- 1.2kg lamb shoulder - bone in oyster cut
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 2 litres veal stock
- 2 carrots
- 1 brown onion
- 1 head of celery
- 1 bunch thyme
- ½ bulb garlic
Navarin Sauce
- 100g eshallots
- 2 cloves garlic
- 200ml red wine
- 100g tomatoes
- 50g tomato paste
- 1 litre lamb shoulder braising liquid
Garnish
- 6 chat potatoes
- 8 Dutch carrots – mixed colours
- 8 cherry tomatoes on the vine
- 4 tablespoons sheep’s milk yoghurt
- 100g green peas
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Preperation Directions
Lamb Shoulder
In a 4-litre French oven casserole dish, heat the vegetable oil until the oil is smoking hot. Season the lamb shoulder with salt and white pepper and then add to the hot oil and caramelise until the lamb is golden brown. Remove the meat from the casserole and set aside. Peel and roughly chop the vegetables and add to the casserole and caramelise. Add the lamb back into the casserole with the thyme and the veal stock and bring to a simmer. Place in the oven at 150C for 2 hours or until the meat is tender and easily pulls away from the bone.
Navarin Sauce
Slice the eshallots and garlic and caramelise in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Deglaze with the red wine and reduce to a glaze. Add the tomatoes and the lamb braising liquid and cook for 20 mins. Strain the liquor and reduce whilst skimming until the sauce is concentrated in flavour and glossy.
Garnish
Boil the potatoes and carrots separately until they are tender, toss them in the parsley, salt and a little softened butter and set aside and keep warm. Roast the cherry tomatoes until the skin blisters. In a serving bowl, place the braised lamb shoulder and surround it with the potatoes and carrots. Generously pour the sauce over the top of the lamb. Scatter the peas over the lamb and place the roasted tomatoes on top of the lamb. Finally add the yoghurt and then garnish with the herbs.
About Drew Bolton
Drew is the executive Chef and partner of Vine in Double Bay
Drew’s culinary career that has seen him work in acclaimed restaurants in Sydney, NSW and Worldwide. Drew grew up in a…