Lamb Stew

The best meat for lamb stew comes from the shoulder or the shanks. Most butchers and supermarkets sell already-cubed lamb stew meat, but if you can’t find it, you can buy lamb shoulder chops or shanks and bone them. You will need about twice the weight of chops or shanks to get the necessary weight of stew meat. Once you have made the basic stew, you can serve it as it is—leave the carrots, onion, and garlic in or pick them out—or you can finish it as described in the variations that follow