Hogget Stew

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Hogget Stew

Don’t let the word ‘hogget’ scare you.  Hogget is a yearling, that time in age after Lamb and before Mutton.   It’s very tasty and great for a stew or any kind of slow cooking.  I’m not a fan of the so-called Spring Lamb.  These are lambs which are usually born and reared indoors over winter and nut fed! (Unless of course, you get your hands on Mountain Lamb)  It’s not exactly the image that on conjures up when we thing Spring Lamb.  Sheep, are, by and large, not subjected to the worst horrors of intensive farming that many other domesticated animals (chickens, pigs, ducks) are.  However, the flavour from the early Lamb, hitting our butchers stalls at Easter time, isn’t great.  I’m more for waiting for the grass fed older cousins who actually get a chance to jump and prance in the fields.  Not that’s the Spring picture I want to eat. 

So hence, we’re going to use Hogget (Yearling) and you can ask your butcher for this.  Use a shoulder diced, or gigot chops.

A Dublin friend of mine, says that when she was growing up her Mother would ‘set’ the Stew the night before.  That means, getting everything ready in the pot, ready to cook the next day.  It really develops the flavour.  And now, I always ‘set’ my stew. By the way, make sure to ask your butcher for the Lamb Bones and make a stock with them.  Great for the best flavour.

So with that said, start preparing the evening before.

Ingredients

2 Kg        Hogget Gigot Chops or Diced Shoulder

12           Baby Carrots

24           Baby Onions

12           Baby White Turnips

12           Potatoes (small)

1 litre     Lamb Stock

Herbs    Parsley, Chives, Thyme (and chive flowers, as they are out now)

Sea Salt

Freshly Ground White Pepper (best to toast the white peppercorns first then grind)

 

Method

So, for the best possible flavour, and considering this is a special occasion stew, we are going to make this over 2 days.  So on the first day, do the following

Trim the Lamb, and keep the fat.  Peel the onions taking care to leave them whole. Render down the fat in a heavy based pan, and then brown the meat in this.  Peel the carrots, and the turnips.  Remove the meat and set aside.  Now brown the onions, put them with the meat.  And brown the carrots and the turnips.  Chop the thyme, about 1 dessert spoon full, and now put all the products, except the carrots and spuds,  into the large heavy based pot and cover with the lamb stock.  Your stew is ‘set’.  Cover it and set it aside.

The following evening, about 1 ½  hours before you need it, start cooking your stew on a low heat.  Remember the line ‘a stew boiled is a stew spoiled’.  About 45 minutes before it is cooked add the carrots and the potatoes. 

Just before serving, add the chopped soft herbs.