Lamb Stew (Navarin d'Agneau)
Lamb shoulder braised low and slow with baby turnips, carrots and new potatoes until the meat is fork-tender and the sauce turns rich and glossy. A French bistro classic that tastes like spring in a pot.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Brown the lamb
Pat the lamb dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and butter in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat, then brown the lamb in batches, turning until deep golden on all sides. Do not crowd the pot, or the meat will steam instead of browning; set the browned pieces aside on a plate.
- 1.5 kg lamb
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- to taste salt and pepper
✅ Done when: the lamb pieces are deeply golden-brown on every side, not grey
Build the base
In the same pot, sprinkle in the sugar and let it turn a light caramel colour in the fat left behind, about 1 minute. Stir in the flour and tomato paste, and cook for 1–2 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom; this step cooks out the raw taste of the flour and deepens the colour of the sauce.
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
✅ Done when: the mixture looks like a thick, rust-coloured paste coating the bottom of the pot
Simmer the lamb
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Add turnips and carrots
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Add the potatoes
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Finish with peas
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Rest and serve
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Brown the lamb
Pat the lamb dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and butter in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat, then brown the lamb in batches, turning until deep golden on all sides. Do not crowd the pot, or the meat will steam instead of browning; set the browned pieces aside on a plate.
- 1.5 kg lamb
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- to taste salt and pepper
✅ Done when: the lamb pieces are deeply golden-brown on every side, not grey
Build the base
In the same pot, sprinkle in the sugar and let it turn a light caramel colour in the fat left behind, about 1 minute. Stir in the flour and tomato paste, and cook for 1–2 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom; this step cooks out the raw taste of the flour and deepens the colour of the sauce.
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
✅ Done when: the mixture looks like a thick, rust-coloured paste coating the bottom of the pot
Simmer the lamb
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Add turnips and carrots
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Add the potatoes
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Finish with peas
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Rest and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Navarin is a French braise of lamb or mutton with root vegetables, slow-cooked until the meat falls apart and the sauce turns rich and glossy. Many food historians believe its name comes from navet, the French word for turnip, which has long been one of its defining vegetables.
In its spring form, navarin printanier, the stew is built around the first tender vegetables of the season: baby turnips, young carrots, pearl onions and new potatoes, with peas stirred in at the very end. It became a staple of French home kitchens and bistros alike, prized for turning a tougher, affordable cut of lamb into something deeply satisfying.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It is one of France's great braised stews, loved for the way long, gentle cooking turns humble lamb and spring vegetables into a dish that tastes far grander than its ingredients suggest.
💡 Fun Fact
Despite its name sounding like it could be about naval battles, navarin almost certainly takes its name from the turnip, navet, not from the Battle of Navarino.
France
46.60°N, 1.89°E
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