Growing up, there were countless Saturday mornings where my late father, Ronald, would make his famous stove-top potjie. He had swept and mopped the kitchen floors and had mowed the lawn before my brother and I even opened an eyelid. By noon, the smell of his lamb stew – along with the smell of fresh bread rolls – would lure us lanky, hungry teenagers into the kitchen…
Of course, we weren’t allowed in because the floors were still wet! While he sat devouring his Saturday newspapers and settled in to watch the rugby, the smell of the lamb stew would assault all our senses. If we were careful enough, we could tip-toe into the kitchen and lift the heavy lid of the cast-iron pot. Carefully dipping a bread roll into the stew sauce would be our aim, but he always caught us! LOL… he had eyes on the back of his head (just as he warned my boyfriends!).
My take on it…
Here, I tried to recreate my dad’s lamb stew. I phoned all my uncles and my brother asking if they could remember what his secret was, but no one could help me. I don’t recall that he followed a recipe, I think he simply threw a bunch of stuff in a cast-iron pot and left it to simmer for several excruciating hours. It tasted wonderful because he made it with such love, passion and patience.
We loved each other intensely, Dad and I. He knew how much I loved him and I knew he was proud of me. My recipe below will never be as good as Dad’s .. not even close. It’s just a simple lamb stew in a tomato-based sauce with some vegetables I remember mopping up.
Macros are calculated on a 300g / 10.5oz serving. Enjoy with Cauliflower Mash, Cauliflower Rice or my delicious Keto Rosemary Rolls, as pictured. The recipe for my keto rosemary rolls features in my second cookbook LAZY KETO KITCHEN. – Monya
Fats of Life® is a keto and low carb recipe blog that I love to run as a hobby in my spare time. I am also the author of the best-selling Keto Kitchen Series of cookbooks. This includes my debut best-seller Keto Kitchen (2020). The fun and exciting Lazy Keto Kitchen (2021). And, the clever and inspiring Budget Keto Kitchen (2022). My 4th cookbook, Quick Keto Kitchen (2023) is as fantastic as the first three, and packed with spectacular, easy creations!
The links above will take you to Amazon UK. For USA and other countries, see the global Amazon links here: Keto Kitchen ; Lazy Keto Kitchen ; Budget Keto Kitchen ; Quick Keto Kitchen.
More on Lamb Stew…
Stove top potjie cooking holds a special place in the culinary traditions of South Africa. It encapsulates the country’s rich cultural heritage and love for hearty, flavoursome meals. Traditionally, a potjie pot is a three-legged cast iron pot, which becomes the vessel for creating culinary magic. Among the many kinds of meat that find their way into the pot, lamb stands out as a true delight. The succulent and tender nature of lamb, combined with the slow-cooking process, results in a beautiful dish.
As the pot simmers, the lamb absorbs the aromatic spices, herbs, and vegetables, creating sensational flavours. Each bite of this lamb stew is a sensory experience that showcases South Africa’s culinary prowess and appreciation for the finer things in life.
My dad would use a stove top cast iron pot to make his lamb and tomato stew, but you can use any heavy-based pot, or even consider making this in your slow-cooker.
It is important to note that to maintain ketosis, it’s essential to track carbohydrate intake and ensure it aligns with your daily macro goals. Consulting with a healthcare professional is advised before making dietary changes. Scroll to see the full macros and allergens for this Lamb Stew. Further down, you will also see all the Beef & Lamb recipes on Fats of Life®.
Ronald's Lamb & Tomato Stew
Per serving
Ingredients
- 2 TB lard
- 850 g (30 oz) diced lamb
- 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 250 g (8.8 oz) chestnut mushrooms, quartered
- 60 g (2.1 oz) red wine
- 2 tins chopped / crushed tomatoes
- 400 g (14.1 oz) beef stock
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 200 g (7.1 oz) courgette, sliced
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the lard in a large pan and brown the lamb chunks in two or three batches. They should be golden and caramelised on the outside. This was commonly (and incorrectly) referred to as 'sealing meat' - but that is a myth. All we are doing is searing it: taking advantage of the extra flavour delivered when meat is caramelised and browned. This is known as the Maillard Reaction. Doing this over high heat - and in batches - is essential. If you over-crowd the pan, the meat will simply boil away in their own juices and won't caramelise. Remove the lamb with tongs and set aside.
- Have all your other ingredients prepped and ready.
- Using the rendered fat and oil still present in the same pan, add the onions and cook until softened and caramelised.
- Add the mushrooms and garlic and continue for an additional 3-4 minutes over high heat, stirring continuously to avoid the garlic burning.
- Deglaze the pan with the red wine and cook until the wine cooks out completely.
- Return the browned meat to the pan, add the chopped tomatoes and pour in the beef stock. Stir in the dried thyme and dried rosemary.
- Cover partially with a lid, cooking for 90 minutes over low-moderate heat.
- After 90 minutes, add the sliced courgettes and cook, without a lid, for another 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 3 hours, the sauce would have reduced sufficiently. Season the stew with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Serve with cauliflower mash, cauliflower rice or Mini Keto Rosemary Rolls.
I definitely think the flavour of the overall dish would be enhanced if you used lamb chunks ON the bone. I couldn't source these at the time, but highly advise that you do)
My name is Monya Kilian Palmer. If you loved this recipe, please follow and tag me @mkilianpalmer on Instagram so we can all see your lovely creations!
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The links above will take you to Amazon UK. For USA and other countries, see the global Amazon links here: Keto Kitchen ; Lazy Keto Kitchen ; Budget Keto Kitchen ; Quick Keto Kitchen.
Nutritional Information per servingCalories             460Kcal / 1925kJ
Fat                 28g
Carbohydrates       12g
Protein              43g
Allergens
Celery (present in store-bought beef stock)
Sulphites (present in the wine)
See all the Beef & Lamb recipes on Fats of Life:
Disclaimer: The nutritional analysis, macro and allergen breakdown of the recipes on this site have been manually and carefully calculated using the cloud-based software NUTRITICS®. NUTRITICS® is fully approved by the relevant Trading Standards organizations and is EU and FDA-compliant. The macro calculations are provided as a courtesy to you based on the author's weighing of ingredients when creating the dishes. If Erythritol (a sugar polyol) has been used in any of the recipes, it has already been manually excluded from the final carbohydrate count. The author is a chef - not a medical professional - and this website has been designed to provide you with recipe ideas to suit the low carb lifestyle you have discussed with your GP.
1 Comment
Drop me a line if you have any questions or comments about this recipe. I will do my best to reply as soon as possible! Monya xxx