adapted from Food Network Kitchens
Serves 6 to 8

This stew is just delicious. The roasted vegetables have a much better texture than boiled ones and the browning from the oven adds a lot of flavor. Serve it with some good warm bread.

3 to 4 lbs lamb leg, cut into 1 1/2” cubes (beef also works)
2 cups leeks, white parts sliced into thin half moons
one stick of butter
½ cup flour
1 cup Guinness or other stout
3 cups beef stock
½ tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 lb carrots, chopped
1/2 lb parsnips, chopped
1 lb potato, chopped
1 medium onion, quartered
4 garlic cloves, halved
1 teaspoon thyme
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus 1 tablespoon rosemary, minced
olive oil

Heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot. Season the meat cubes with salt and pepper and working in batches, brown all sides of the meat on high heat. Set aside.

Turn the heat down to medium and add a little more oil to the pot if needed. Saute the leeks until soft, about 3 or 4 minutes. Melt the butter. Stir in the flour being sure to break up any lumps and cook the roux until a deep golden brown, about 15 minutes. Whisk in the beer and broth, scraping up all the bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the red pepper flakes, tomatoes, minced rosemary and reserved meat and bring the stew up to a boil. Cut heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 and place the carrot, parsnips, potato, onion and whole garlic cloves into a large baking dish. Toss the veggies with 2 tablespoons olive oil, thyme and salt and pepper. Nestle the rosemary sprigs among the vegetables and bake for about 45 minutes, removing the dish to stir several times, adding more oil if needed. By the end the veggies should be browning on the outside and cooked all the way through.

When the vegetables and stew are finished cooking, take the baking dish out of the oven and discard the rosemary sprigs. Fish out the roasted garlic and mince it up fine and add it to the stew. Add the rest of the vegetables to the stew and cook an additional 15 minutes to let the flavors meld. Season and serve with good bread.

#lamb