French Cooking Academy

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LAMB CHASSEUR


Learn to sauté lamb using a sauté pan.

Learn how to make a delicious sauté of lamb chasseur using a copper sauté pan (if you have one). This method of cooking is used extensively by professionals, who also use copper pans. The versatility, heat and conductivity of the copper sauté pan makes it the perfect tool for any meat dishes in sauce. You can also use a standard sauté pan for this recipe.


INGREDIENTS

  • 600 g (21.2 oz) of diced lamb (shoulder or leg)

  • 1 heaped tbsp of tomato paste

  • 150 g (5.3 oz) of mushrooms (quartered)

  • 1 medium sized shallot (finely sliced)

  • 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) of dry white wine (I used a French sauvignon blanc)

  • 300 ml (10 fl oz) brown stock (beef or lamb)

  • 2 tsp beurre manie to thicken the stock (mix 1 tsp each flour and butter together)

  • 2 cloves crushed garlic (optional)

  • 1 small bay leaf

  • 1 twig of thyme

  • 1 tbsp chopped French tarragon

  • Half tbsp of chopped parsley

  • Half tbsp chopped chervil (optional)

  • Salt and pepper to season

  • 3 tbsp of grapeseed oil for cooking the lamb and mushrooms

  • A dash of cognac (optional)


NOTES

  • The video recipe includes a trick to clean copper pans. To make the ‘la pate a cuivre’ (copper batter) which is a copper cleaning paste: Add 1-2 tbsp flour, 1 tbsp rock salt, 3 teaspoons white vinegar together and whisk into a semi liquid paste.


PROCEDURE

  1. On high heat add a teaspoon of oil and brown the diced lamb in a saute pan – 3-4 minutes on each side. Brown the lamb in batches.

  2. Once done, remove the lamb, add another teaspoon of oil and fry shallots on medium-high heat for about 30 seconds maximum. Add white wine and deglaze the pan reducing the wine slowly.

  3. While the pan is deglazing bring the stock to the boil. Add beurre manie and whisk to thicken.

  4. Add the lamb to the shallots in the deglazed saute pan together with the tomato paste on medium-high heat and stir together, being careful not to boil the tomato paste. Stir for up to 1 minute.

  5. Sieve the stock into the pan and season with pepper and salt. Add a bay leaf and thyme. Mix well.

  6. Cover the pan and simmer (slightly overlap the lid) until the lamb is cooked for between 15-30 minutes depending on the size of the lamb pieces.

  7. Saute the mushrooms and mix into the simmering lamb, together with crushed garlic (about halfway through the simmer).

  8. About 5 minutes before the meat is cooked, mix in tarragon, parsley and (if used) chervil.

  9. Finally, (and at the same time as adding the herbs) add the cognac and stir in. This dish goes well with potatoes or rice.