AI-generated image
Lamb potjiekos
Lamb and vegetable stew
Potjiekos: lamb, vegetables and potatoes layered and slow-cooked in a three-legged pot
Potjiekos is the long, sociable cook of South African weekends: a cast-iron three-legged pot (potjie) sits over a small fire for hours while friends talk around it, and the rule is that once the layers are in, nobody stirs. The lamb is browned at the bottom, then potatoes, carrots, butternut, green beans and mushrooms are stacked on top so the hardest vegetables are nearest the heat. A heavy casserole on the hob or in the oven works just as well. Some cooks add a glass of red wine or beer; this version uses stock only, and you may swap 150 ml of it for wine if you like. The mistake is stirring the pot, which turns the neat layers into mush. Chef's tip: add only a little liquid; the vegetables give off their own juice as they steam.
- Total time
- 210 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the lamb
- 3 ⅓ lb lamb neck or shoulder, on the bonein 5 cm pieces
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onionssliced
- 4 cloves garliccrushed
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 ¼ cups lamb or beef stock
For the layers
- 1 ⅓ lb baby potatoeshalved
- 3 carrotsin thick slices
- 1 ⅛ lb butternut squashpeeled, in 4 cm chunks
- 7 oz green beanstrimmed
- 7 oz button mushroomshalved
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (9)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a potjie over a medium fire or in a heavy casserole over a medium-high heat. Brown 3 ⅓ lb lamb neck or shoulder, on the bone in batches, about 6 minutes each, and set aside.
18 minStep 2: Add 2 onions to the pot and cook for 8 minutes until soft and golden. Stir in 4 cloves garlic, 2 tsp paprika and 1 tsp ground coriander for 1 minute.
9 minStep 3: Return the lamb with its juices. Add 2 bay leaves, 2 sprigs rosemary, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper and 1 ¼ cups lamb or beef stock. Cover and simmer very gently for 1½ hours, until the lamb is almost tender.
90 minStep 4: Now layer, without stirring: first 1 ⅓ lb baby potatoes and 3 carrots, then 1 ⅛ lb butternut squash, then 7 oz green beans and finally 7 oz button mushrooms on top. Season with the rest of 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper.
Step 5: Cover tightly and cook over low coals (or at 325°F, fan 275°F, in the oven) for 1 hour, until a knife slides easily through the potatoes. Check once that there is a little liquid at the bottom, adding a splash of water if it looks dry. Don't stir.
60 minStep 6: Take the pot off the heat and rest it, covered, for 10 minutes. Serve straight from the pot, spooning down through the layers so everyone gets meat, vegetables and sauce. Cool leftovers within 2 hours.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 27 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does lamb potjiekos take?
- About 210 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 180 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Pork souvlaki
This is a pork recipe. Walk through any Greek town after dark, from Athens to Thessaloniki, and the smell of souvlaki stands drifts down the street; cubes of pork shoulder grilled on thin skewers are the country's favourite cheap supper, eaten standing up or at a plastic-table taverna. At home you marinate the meat in lemon, olive oil, garlic and dried oregano, grill it hard and fast, and pile it on warm pitta with tzatziki, tomato and red onion. Chef's tip: cut the pork into even 2.5 cm cubes and leave a little fat on; lean loin dries out, shoulder stays juicy over high heat.
Greek
Pfälzer SaumagenStuffed pig's stomach
Saumagen is the pride of the Palatinate, served at wine-village festivals and family dinners from the Haardt hills to Ludwigshafen. A cleaned pig's stomach is stuffed with diced pork shoulder, pork sausage meat, potato and carrot seasoned with marjoram and nutmeg, poached slowly, then sliced thick and fried until crusty. The stomach works only as a casing and is ordered from a butcher; if you can't get one, bake the same filling in a covered terrine in a water bath. Serve with sauerkraut and mashed potato. Chef's tip: fill the stomach only three-quarters full, or it bursts as the potatoes swell.
German
Chha goshtLamb in buttermilk gravy
Up in the hill villages of Himachal Pradesh, where flocks are walked to summer pastures, lamb is often cooked in chhaachh, the thin buttermilk left after churning butter. Thickened with a spoonful of gram flour, it makes a pale, gently sour gravy that is milder and lighter than the red curries of the plains, and it is a favourite at dhams, the festive meals of the Kangra and Chamba valleys. Serve it with steamed rice or makki ki roti. Chef's tip: whisk the gram flour into the buttermilk until there are no lumps before it goes near the pot; once it hits the heat, any lumps stay lumps.
Indian