My Lamb Potjie
I love a good potjie!
It can be a great excuse to have people around to share it with, and nothing is better than arriving somewhere where you can smell a good potjie slowly cooking on the fire. One of the great things about a potjie is the anticipation of whats to come; you get wafts of it cooking for hours, and by the time it’s ready you are salivating!
This recipe it something I’ve been refining over my last few pots, and now I’m ready to share it with you!
Remember, first make your fire. When ready, make sure you can separate it so you can keep the fire burning, but scrape coals across to keep the potjie slowly bubbling away.
This recipe should take around 4 to 5 hours to cook. Potjie isn’t a race, its a marathon.
Step 1
Prepare your lamb. Cut it into bigger than bite size pieces (remember, too small and it will just break down into the sauce).
Generously season your flour with salt and pepper.
Coat your meat with the seasoned flour, make sure all the pieces get covered.
Set aside for later.
Step 2
Peel you onions and garlic. These go in the pot together, so you can prepare them together.
Cut your onion into quarters, and slice your garlic.
Put in a bowl and set aside.
Step 3
Cut the woody top off the whole tomatoes and then cut into quarters.
The baby tomatoes can be left whole.
Put in a bowl and set aside.
Step 4
Slice your butternut into half moons, slice your sweet potato and slice your carrots into chunks.
Slice the mushrooms in half.
Set these aside for later, you will only need to add them to the pot towards the end of the cooking.
Step 5
Now it’s time to cook.
Put your potjie over some coals to heat up. Add a good glug of olive oil.
Once your oil is hot and you can see it starting to shimmer, add the lamb to brown. Do this in batches if you have a lot of meat. There is plenty of space in the pot, but if you add too much at once you will draw the heat out the potjie and it will take ages to get hot again.
Once brown, remove the lamb from the pot.
Remember, you don’t want to fully cook the lamb here, you just want to start developing the flavour as it browns in the pot.
Step 6
Once the meat is out, add a bit more oil and the add the onions and garlic.
When the onions start to become translucent, put in the tomato paste. This will help develop a rich tomato flavour.
Step 7
After the tomato paste has been cooking for 3 or 4 minutes it’s time it’s time to add the meat back in.
After the meat add the fresh tomatoes, tinned tomatoes, brown sugar and barbecue spice.
Add the stock, this should just about cover the meat. If you feel there is not enough liquid you can add some more stock/beer/wine or water, just remember the the tomatoes will also release some liquid.
Give the pot a good stir. After this you shouldn’t be stirring your potjie.
Put on the lid and let the pot slowly bubble for around 3 to 3.5 hours. You don’t want it to boil, just slowly simmer. Don’t open or stir the pot during this time.
Step 8
Once the potjie has been on the go for 3 to 3.5 hours, open the lid and have a look at it. There should be plenty of liquid slowing bubbling, and the meat should be tender. Use a wooden spoon to slightly stir the pot, just to make sure there is nothing burnt on the base.
Now add the butternut, carrots and sweet potatoes. Add the mushrooms on top of that.
Close up the potjie for at least another hour or until the veg is soft. Make sure you still keep a constant heat under the pot.
This is the perfect time to get your sides going. The best things to eat with a potjie are rice and fresh, hot bread.
Tip: You can really add any veg you want here, just make sure that your layer it in the pot, starting with the ones that will take the longest to cook.
Step 9
After at least an hour your veg should be cooked and the potjie should be ready!
Serve hot with warm beard and rice. Yes, this meal is just a load of carbs, but it’s ok to let loose from time to time!
Once you are done enjoying your potjie, just remember cleaning your pot it just as important as cooking in it. Rinse it with warm water, and then wash it with just a bit of warm soapy water. Immediately dry it and then rub inside and out with some canola or vegetable oil. Put some crumpled newspaper inside to absorb any moisture and store in a dry place for next time.
Ingredients
This recipe will feed around 8 people.
+-2kg lamb (any lamb will do, necks are great, just don’t get a premium cut as it will be wasted)
4x Onions
4x Cloves Garlic
4x Whole Tomatoes
4x Sweet Potatoes
4x Carrots
250g Baby Tomatoes
250g Mushrooms
1x Small Butternut
200g (1/2 cup) Tomato Paste
2x 400g Cans of Chopped Tomatoes (you can also opt to put in 1 can of tomatoes and some additional stock/beer/wine)
500ml (2 cups) Vegetable/Lamp/Beef Stock
2x Tablespoons Robertsons Barbecue Spice
4x Teaspoons Brown Sugar
+- 4x Tablespoons Flour