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romantic valentines day dinner by fireplace image

Slow Cooked Lamb Bourguignon

Published on February 13, 2020 by Elizabeth Atia
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
Lamb Bourguignon
Lamb Bourguignon
Lamb Bourguignon
Lamb Bourguignon
 

This lamb bourguignon is a stove-top, slow-cooked lamb stew with tender pieces of succulent lamb braised in red wine and cognac. It is flavoured with carrots, onions, mushrooms, bacon and a Bouquet Garni; the perfect make-ahead Valentine’s Day recipe, in collaboration with Try Lamb.

Slow Cooked Lamb Bourguignon Recipe in dish in front of fireplace

Table of Contents

  • Lamb bourguignon for a romantic Valentine’s Day meal
  • What is bourguignon?
  • What’s the best lamb cut for lamb bourguignon?
  • What you’ll need for this recipe…
  • How to make lamb bourguignon
  • Tips for slow cooking lamb
  • What’s the best wine to use for bourguignon?
  • Bourguignon recipe adaptations
  • The Try Lamb, Love Lamb Campaign
  • Slow Cooked Lamb Bourguignon Recipe

Lamb bourguignon for a romantic Valentine’s Day meal

They say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

You know, I’m not entirely convinced of the validity of this statement. However, I can attest to the fact that my own interest in a potential suitor definitely increases if they know their way around the kitchen.

This Valentine’s Day, why not impress your beau with this stove-top, slow-cooked lamb stew with tender pieces of succulent lamb braised in red wine and cognac. Serve, in front of a blazing fire, with a glass (or two) of good quality French wine. 

romantic valentines day dinner by fireplace image

Seriously, this is one of the best lamb dishes I have ever created. I could definitely fancy someone who made this lamb bourguignon recipe for me on Valentine’s Day or any other day of the year!

This is my own adaptation of bourguignon de joues de boeuf, a traditional French beef cheeks recipe where the meat is diced and marinated in herbs, red wine and a splash of cognac before being slow-cooked for several hours. It goes really well with creamy mashed potatoes and a side of something green. 

One of the other bonuses of this recipe is that it makes six portions. It can also be made in advance and reheated, and you can freeze the leftovers if, like myself, you’re cooking for one this Valentine’s Day. There’s no sense in spending all that money on ingredients and the time cooking it if you’re not going to get a good few meals out of it, I think!

What is bourguignon?

Bourguignon is a French term describing a dish that is prepared with wine or with a mushroom and onion garnish.

What’s the best lamb cut for lamb bourguignon?

Lamb is a fattier meat than other red meats, so it lends itself really well to slow cooking for hours in stews like this. Boned and diced shoulder or leg are both well suited for lamb bourguignon, resulting in a meltingly tender dish.

Ingredients for Lamb Bourguignon

What you’ll need for this recipe…

  • 800 grams lamb leg or shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 750 ml red wine (Pinot Noir or Burgundy)
  • 50 ml cognac* (optional)
  • 10 juniper berries
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 2 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 4-5 small brown onions
  • 2 large carrots
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree 
  • 1 bouquet garni (or a handful of fresh thyme sprigs)
  • 250 ml lamb stock
  • 450 grams baby button mushrooms
  • 100 grams smoked streaky bacon, sliced and fried until crispy, to garnish
  • spring onions & fresh parsley, to garnish

how to make bourguignon step by step collage

How to make lamb bourguignon

  1. Trim any excess fat from the lamb (but not all of it, leave some for flavour) and place in a bowl with half of the red wine, the cognac, juniper berries and bay leaves. Leave to marinate for a few hours. Drain, reserving the marinade.
  2. Heat the sunflower oil in a large pan. Brown the lamb pieces and then add the onions and carrots. Cook for a few more minutes.
  3. Add the tomato puree and stir well. 
  4. Sprinkle over the flour and cook for a few more minutes.
  5. Add the reserved lamb marinade, the rest of the wine, the lamb stock, the mushrooms and the bouquet garni.
  6. Simmer on a low heat, covered, for 2 hours until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick.  

Lamb Bourguignon Recipe

Tips for slow cooking lamb

  • Brown the lamb before slow cooking. This caramelises the meat juices, improving the flavour of the meat.
  • Simmer over a very low heat so that the liquid is only bubbling gently around the meat. This keeps the moisture from evaporating too quickly, and also prevents the fat from emulsifying, making the dish look too oily.
  • Don’t trim away all the fat off the lamb before cooking; it adds to the flavour of the dish. 
  • Only season your dish sparingly at the start of cooking, as the flavour will ‘condense’ as the liquid evaporates. Season more towards the end of cooking.

What’s the best wine to use for bourguignon?

This dish is traditionally made with a good quality Burgundy wine, but a Pinot Noir will work as well.

Don’t scrimp on the wine – buy the best you can afford for this dish, and don’t be tempted to reduce the quantity of wine in the actual dish either. It’s the wine that makes this dish so flavoursome.

Bourguignon recipe adaptations

  • I’ve deliberately omitted garlic from this recipe as I didn’t want it to detract away from the rich wine flavour, but feel free to add in a few chopped cloves after you’ve browned the meat.
  • Make this recipe gluten-free by substituting cornflour for the flour.
  • Substitute 12 whole pearl onions for the brown onions ( I would have used them in this recipe but there were none to be found in Shetland when I was making this recipe!)

Lamb Bourguignon Recipe photo

The Try Lamb, Love Lamb Campaign

Lamb is an incredibly delicious and versatile ingredient. It’s easy to grow, too, thriving in European pastures.

Try Lamb was created to showcase the ease and versatility with which lamb could be incorporated into family meals. I and a team of other foodies and home cooks have been regularly sharing lamb recipes with our followers, in collaboration with Try Lamb, in hopes that we will help inspire you to give lamb a try. Trust me, you’ll love it!

You can find out more about lamb by visiting the Try Lamb website.

romantic valentines day dinner by fireplace image

Slow Cooked Lamb Bourguignon Recipe

This stove-top, slow-cooked lamb stew with tender pieces of succulent lamb braised in red wine and cognac is flavoured with carrots, onions, mushrooms, bacon and a bouquet garni.

5 from 7 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: French
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Marinating: 4 hours
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 415kcal
Author: Elizabeth

Ingredients

Metric - US Cup Measures
  • 800 grams lamb leg or shoulder, cubed
  • 750 ml red wine Pinot Noir or Burgundy
  • 50 ml brandy optional
  • 10 juniper berries
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 2 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 4 brown onions coarsely chopped
  • 2 carrots coarsely chopped
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 bouquet garni
  • 250 ml lamb stock
  • 450 grams baby button mushrooms
  • Shetland sea salt to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 100 grams smoked streaky bacon to garnish
  • spring onions to garnish
  • fresh parsley to garnish
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Instructions 

  • Trim any excess fat from the lamb and cut your lamb into 1-inch pieces.
  • Place the lamb into a bowl and pour over half the red wine and the cognac. Add the juniper berries and bay leaves and leave to marinate in the fridge for several hours.
  • Drain the marinade from the meat, reserving it for later.
  • Heat the sunflower oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
  • Brown the drained meat and then add the onions and carrots.
  • Add the tomato puree and the flour; stirring for a few minutes until the meat and vegetables are coated and the mixture begins to thicken.
  • Add the reserved marinade, the rest of the bottle of wine, the lamb stock and baby button mushrooms.
  • Add the bouquet garni, season lightly and turn the heat down to low.
  • Simmer, with the lid on, for 1.5 to 2 hours, until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened.
  • Meanwhile, cut the bacon into strips and fry until crispy.
  • Serve the lamb bourguignon with the crispy bacon, chopped spring onions and parsley.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 415kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 250mg | Potassium: 990mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3599IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 5mg

Environmental Information

Tried this recipe?Mention @TangoRaindrop or tag #elizabethskitchendiary - we'd love to see what you've been making!

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Pin this lamb bourguignon recipe for later

Lamb Bourguignon
Lamb Bourguignon

This is a sponsored recipe post in collaboration with Try Lamb, although all thoughts and opinions expressed are our own. Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me to do what I love: mess up my kitchen and share recipe stories.

Category: Lamb, Recipe, Sponsored Post

About Elizabeth Atia

Daydream adventurer. Expat Canadian. Foodie. Calls Shetland home.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cyndy

    February 20, 2020 at 1:44 am

    5 stars
    This recipe was fantastic and the instructions were great. Thank you for the great tips!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth

      February 21, 2020 at 1:09 pm

      Aw thanks! I’m really glad you enjoyed my recipe! đŸ˜€

      Reply
  2. Sandhya Hariharan

    February 19, 2020 at 2:54 pm

    5 stars
    You can’t beat a comforting meal anytime!! Looks delicious..

    Reply
    • Elizabeth

      February 21, 2020 at 1:10 pm

      Definitely! Especially if someone else is cooking it, or if it’s been batched cooked in advance so there’s no work that night to do, haha!

      Reply
  3. Amanda Wren-Grimwood

    February 19, 2020 at 1:22 pm

    5 stars
    What a delicious looking dish. My husband wil love this!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth

      February 21, 2020 at 1:10 pm

      Do let me know what you think of it if you make it! đŸ™‚

      Reply
  4. Pamela

    February 19, 2020 at 12:38 pm

    5 stars
    What a delicious recipe, and since it’s slow-cooked it’s going to make my home smell so good!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth

      February 21, 2020 at 1:11 pm

      The smell of this recipe cooking is certainly one of its perks! đŸ™‚

      Reply
  5. Dannii

    February 19, 2020 at 9:52 am

    You can’t beat a comforting lamb stew – this looks amazing.

    Reply
    • Elizabeth

      February 21, 2020 at 1:11 pm

      I’m inclined to agree! Glad you like the look of it đŸ™‚

      Reply
  6. Adrianne

    February 19, 2020 at 9:51 am

    5 stars
    Oh my goodness, this recipe looks fantastic!! I would love to be having a glass of red and a bowl of this right now, yum. The mushroooms are a perfect pairing. Cheers!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth

      February 21, 2020 at 1:11 pm

      It all works together rather well, I think, especially with a glass or two of wine!

      Reply
  7. Emily

    February 19, 2020 at 9:46 am

    5 stars
    What a special recipe, I’d love to make this for a romantic night in with a nice glass of vino. Thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth

      February 21, 2020 at 1:12 pm

      Do let me know what you think if/when you make it! đŸ™‚

      Reply

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About Elizabeth

Adventurer. Expat Canadian. Foodie. Loves bikes. Calls Shetland home. Read More…

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“Every day is another chance to get stronger, to eat better, to live healthier, and to be the best version of you.”

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