This dish is delicately flavored with lamb shank/knuckle, cinnamon, chili, garlic, and bay leaf, slow cooked in a cast iron pot called a potjie (poy-kee) with carrots and potatoes. The dish was originally a favorite of the South African farm laborers, prepared with poor cuts of lamb meat and lamb shank that cooked over low heat for hours while they toiled in the field. Slow cooking over a low heat allow the spices to do their trick, the meat literally falls off the bone. It’s great with aromatic Basmati Rice.

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 2 large yellow onions, coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 2 1/2 pounds lamb knuckles cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 large ripe tomato
• 4 garlic cloves peeled and chopped
• 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 spicy red dry chili pepper, crushed
• 2 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled, quartered and placed in a bowl of cold water.
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 recipe aromatic Basmati Rice

Instructions

1. Place 2 1/2 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven, Crock Pot, or cast-iron stew pot over medium heat. Add the onions, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks and saute, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the pot and set aside.

2. Dust the meat with flour and divide it into two batches. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pot over medium heat, add the first batch of meat, and brown on all sides, approximately 5 minutes. Remove the browned meat from the pot and set aside. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot and repeat the browning process for the second batch. Remove excess grease from the pot by using a large ladle or spoon.

3. Add the white wine to the pot, reduce the heat, and deglaze using a wooden spoon. Return the reserved meat and the onions, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick to the pot. Add the tomato, crushed garlic, salt and pepper, chili, and tomato paste. Cover the pot and simmer over medium heat for 40 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add the potatoes and sugar, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the lid from the pot, stir, and cook, for a final 15 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro and serve the bredie hot with the rice on the side.