Quick Lamb Stew with Even Quicker Kumara Mash

The sun was still shining bright when I arrived home the other day, so I decided to go out for a nice walk. I had made it less than 10 minutes away before the skies opened up and started pouring down. I ran home and vowed that I wouldn't step outside again for the rest of the week.

Although we are more than a week into October, you would be forgiven for thinking that it is still winter. This suits me just fine though, because it means it is still appropriate for warming stew. The only problem is that stew is something that requires a lot of time and I don't really fancy waiting 3 hours after work to eat.

This is where a pressure cooker comes in handy. My mother gifted this to me when we moved into our new home, no doubt because she knows the value of time. With this nifty tool, the cooking time is more than halved! 

This stew can be eaten on its own but the sweetness of the Kumara compliments this savoury dish. It only takes 15 minutes to make and really adds a lift.

Quick Lamb Stew with Even Quicker Kumara Mash
A Lucyeats original

Ingredients:

Stew:

300g diced stewing lamb, cut into 2cm x 2cm cubes
1 Tbs flour
1 onion
2 carrots
3 stalks of celery
1 250g can of crushed tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic
4 bay leaves
4 sprigs of thyme
350ml vegetable stock
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Kumara Mash:

1 large Kumara
1 Tbs butter
2 Tbs milk
salt

Method:

1. Roughly chop the onion, carrots and celery
2. Lightly dust the lamb with flour and season with salt and pepper. Shake off excess
3. Put the pressure cooker (lid off, of course) on medium heat 
4. Add 2 Tbs oil and brown the lamb 
5. Add the garlic and chopped vegetables and fry for about 5 minutes
6. Add the canned tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves and vegetable stock
7. Stir everything together to mix well and bring to a boil
8. Cover and lock the lid on the pressure cooker
9. When pressure is reached, turn the heat down to low and continue cooking for 20 minutes
10. Wait for the pressure to release naturally before carefully opening the lid
11. While waiting for the pressure to release, peel and roughly dice the Kumara. Place pieces in a microwave proof bowl with a pinch of salt and cover with water
12. Place in microwave on high for 10 minutes on high or until Kumara pieces are soft enough to mash
13. Drain them and mash. Mix the butter and milk through with a wooden spoon
14. To serve, ladle the stew into bowls and sit a scoop of mashed Kumara on top