Recipe of the week: Scandinavian stew and rosemary mash

Is the weather getting you down? Get stuck into this tasty comfort food...

8 mins
The quality of Scandinavian lamb is high; the sheep live on hillsides, meadows or marshes – all places where the winter weather in particular can be rather rough, with high winds, rain and even snow. The meat is very tender – and this stew is especially nice when the weather is wet and chilly.

Serves 6


Stew:
2tbsp olive oil
1kg lamb shoulder, cut into even-sized chunks
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 rosemary sprigs
10 sage leaves
300ml white wine
200ml water
300g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and cubed
2 leeks, thickly sliced
2 apples, cored and cubed
salt and pepper, to taste

Mash:
1kg potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
2 garlic cloves
2 rosemary sprigs
1tbsp whole peppercorns
1tbsp coarse salt
50g butter

In a frying pan, heat the oil and cook the meat until lightly browned. Add the garlic, rosemary and sage, then pour in the wine and water and leave the meat to simmer for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the mash. Put the potatoes in a saucepan with the garlic, rosemary, peppercorns and salt. Add enough water to cover the potatoes, cover with a lid, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and leave the potatoes to simmer for 20 minutes. Drain the water from the potatoes, reserving it in a bowl for later. Remove the rosemary stems.

Return the potatoes to the pan and add the butter. Use a balloon whisk to mash the potatoes, leaving the mixture lumpy. If the mash is too heavy, add 100-200ml of the cooking water. Put the pan back over the heat for a couple of minutes and stir with a wooden spoon.

To finish the stew, add the Jerusalem artichokes and simmer for 10 minutes, then add the leeks and apples and simmer for 5 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve straight away with the mash.

This recipe was taken from The Scandinavian Cookbook, by Trine Hahnemann, available from Amazon now.

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