This is a delicious Swedish recipe made with either Lamb, elk, reindeer, or even beef. It makes a great lamb stew.
2 lbs boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1″ chunks
¼ tsp each salt and pepper
2 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
2 yellow onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
½ tsp ground allspice (~10 whole berries, ground)
3 bay leaves
2 tbsp Elderberry jelly
4 cups lamb or beef broth
If you know how to make stew, then you know what to do. Personally, I don’t fuss with a lot of steps and I add flower to the pan when I initially saute the meat—this is a a kind of ad lib beurre manié (French for “kneaded butter”) technique and will help thicken the stew later while it is simmering at low heat.
I also think that using ghee is going a bit overboard—it’s stew, for chrissakes, a working man’s dish; not exactly the height of Escoffier cooking! Just use butter or simple beurre manie made on the spot, or even in the pan.
However, this is the way a Swedish cook would do it:
To prepare your meat, slice it into 1″ chunks, and season it with the little salt and pepper.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Warm a dutch oven on medium/high heat with ghee/oil added, about three minutes. Add the roast and brown, in batches (it took me three batches total), being careful not to overcrowd the dutch oven. Should take about six minutes per batch. Remove and set the browned meat aside.
Add the diced onion, and lower the heat to medium – sauté until softened and translucent, about five minutes.
At this point, add the garlic and sauté for another minute, then return the meat (and its juices) to the dutch oven. (I add the potatoes at this point, but this gives real cooks a conniption). Add the allspice, bay leaves, and stir in enough beef broth to mostly cover the meat, about four cups.
Cover the dutch oven and put it in the oven for 1½ hours, or until the meat is soft. After an hour, add the carrots (optional). Finish with the 2 tbsp of elderberry jelly, or simply put the elderberry jelly on the table for your guests to use if they choose. This jelly compliments the sweetness of lamb meat perfectly (the Brits prefer a sweet mint jelly). Serve in bowls with chopped parsely thrown on top.
Sides:
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1″ pieces (or you could at this to the stew with the potatoes)
4 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1½″ chunks (I prefer to cook these in the stew)
1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
This dish must be served with pickled beets in order to be officially Swedish.
The Potatoes served on the side (ridiculous):
While the meat is cooking, peel and slice the potatoes, then put them in a pot with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until easily pierced with a fork, about eight minutes. Technically you could do this at any point in the process, but others prefer to do it right before the meat is ready, so they are still warm when everything is plated.
