Braised Leg of Lamb With Celery Root Purée

Name: Braised Leg of Lamb With Celery Root Purée
Total time: 5 h
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 Shank end leg of lamb (4 1/2 pounds), bone-in, rinsed and patted dry; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 tablespoon, plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 3/4 teaspoons pepper; 2 cups chicken stock; 1 bottle fruity white wine; 3 small onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced; 3 large carrots, peeled, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds; 1 large parsnip, peeled, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds; 2 rosemary sprigs; 2 sage sprigs; 1 bay leaf; 1/2 cup pitted and coarsely chopped green olives; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 4 medium celeriac bulbs about 3 1/2 pounds, peeled and diced; 4 garlic cloves, peeled; 2 bay leaves; 2 tablespoons kosher salt, more to taste; 8 tablespoons butter; Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

By Melissa Clark

Updated Nov. 14, 2023

Braised Leg of Lamb With Celery Root Purée — Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Total Time: 5 hours
Rating: 4(459)
Comments: Read comments

A five-hour braise yields a tender, intense and velvety leg of lamb, soft enough to cut with the edge of a spoon. Carrots and parsnips lend sweetness to the pot, while a handful of chopped green olives add a bracing bite. Serve on a bed of garlicky celeriac puréed so smooth it could double as a creamy sauce.

Featured in: Seven-Hour Lamb, in About Five

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

For the Lamb

1Shank end leg of lamb (4½ pounds), bone-in, rinsed and patted dry
3tablespoons olive oil
1tablespoon, plus ½ teaspoon kosher salt
1¾teaspoons pepper
2cups chicken stock
1bottle fruity white wine
3small onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
3large carrots, peeled, sliced into ½-inch rounds
1large parsnip, peeled, sliced into ½-inch rounds
2rosemary sprigs
2sage sprigs
1bay leaf
½cup pitted and coarsely chopped green olives
2garlic cloves, finely chopped

For the Celery Root Purée

4medium celeriac bulbs about 3½ pounds, peeled and diced
4garlic cloves, peeled
2bay leaves
2tablespoons kosher salt, more to taste
8tablespoons butter
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
To prepare the lamb: Heat oven to 450 degrees. Rub the lamb with 1 tablespoon of oil, and season it with 1 tablespoon salt and 1½ teaspoons pepper.
Step 2
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the stock and wine to a boil; allow to reduce for 10 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in the carrots and parsnips, ¼ teaspoon salt, the remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper, rosemary, sage and bay leaf. Turn off the heat and add just enough stock to cover the vegetables. Place the lamb, fatty side up, on top of the vegetables.
Step 4
Transfer the pot to the oven, uncovered, and cook for 25 minutes. Then add the remaining stock, cover the pot and reduce heat to 325 degrees. Cook for 1½ hours, at a bare simmer, reducing heat if necessary, then turn the lamb over. Cook 1½ hours longer and turn the lamb over again. Uncover the pot and stir in the olives. Cook another hour, turning the lamb after 30 minutes. At this point the lamb should be soft enough to cut with a serving spoon. If not, cover the pot and continue to cook until it is.
Step 5
After the lamb has cooked for about 3 hours, prepare the celery root purée: In a large saucepan, combine the celery root, peeled garlic cloves and bay leaves. Pour in 12 cups water and 2 tablespoons of kosher salt. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain, discard the bay leaves and transfer the celeriac and garlic to a food processor. Add the butter and nutmeg; process until very smooth. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Keep warm.
Step 6
Just before serving, mash the finely chopped garlic and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt to form a paste. Stir it into the lamb’s pan juices.
Step 7
To serve, make a bed of celery root purée on each plate. Cut the lamb with a serving spoon, and lay some of it over the celery root, along with some vegetables and pan juices.

Ratings

4 out of 5

459 user ratings

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Comments

Deepika7 years ago

Can you use a full leg of lamb (instead of just the shank?)

Juliet Jones7 years ago

Benjamin, personally I don't think this is best way to cook a LEG of lamb, because the more tender meat does not need such slow cooking. But the shank, which has more collagen, is great cooked this way. Makes it really tender and the collagen melts away.

Lizanne Pastore6 years ago

For those curious about the missing tomato directive, I simply used a 28 oz can of good DOP Italian Marzanos. I drained the juice from the can into the stock mixture to reduce and then added tomatoes with the parsnips/carrots. It was great. Like others, agree that long braising is best with shanks. I used 3 good sized lamb shanks, not a "leg" of lamb which most butchers butterfly. I reduced the cooking times a bit b/c 3 separate smaller shanks didn't need as much time as a huge leg.

the_beezelet3 months ago

This is delicious! We used lamb shanks instead of the leg, and reduced the times in the oven by half. Also added steamed cauliflower to the celery root mash, which made it a little lighter and more flavourful.

the_beezelet3 months ago

this was fantastic! we used lamb shanks instead of the leg of lamb, and cut all the oven time in half. delicious!

Laura Di Battista, Toronto1 year ago

Thanks for another winner Melissa! Made the lamb exactly as written and it was tender and delicious. I cut back on the butter in the celery root and it was still so good. I may never make mashed potatoes again. I loved the tip about using a food processor to puree the celeriac. In the past, I had always used an old fashioned potato masher. The food processor took it to a whole new level.

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