levantine · lunch
Lamb and boiled potatoes
A frugal Levantine mountain dish from the Lebanese highlands and Anti-Lebanon: lamb shoulder slow-simmered to release its broth, potatoes added in the last stretch to drink in the lamb juices, finished with cold-pressed olive oil and a citrus accent.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 110 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- intermediate
Steps
- 01
Choose bone-in shoulder
3 minPick lamb shoulder still on the bone. The marrow and connective tissues release gelatin during the long simmer, giving the broth its silky body without need for any thickener.
- 02
Build the broth
75 minCover lamb with cold water, bring to boil, skim foam carefully for ten minutes. Add thyme, cardamom pods and half the salt. Simmer covered seventy-five minutes until tender.
- 03
Quarter the potatoes
5 minPeel and quarter the potatoes through the long axis. Even-sized pieces ensure they finish cooking together, neither falling apart nor staying firm in the centre.
- 04
Cook potatoes in broth
25 minAdd potatoes to the simmering broth, cook uncovered twenty-five minutes. The starch thickens the liquid slightly while the potato absorbs the lamb flavour, the dish ties itself.
- 05
Adjust and rest
5 minTaste the broth, add the rest of salt if needed. Let the pot rest off heat five minutes; the potatoes finish absorbing flavour and the lamb relaxes for tender slicing.
- 06
Drizzle and serve
3 minLift lamb and potatoes into a deep platter, spoon some broth over. Drizzle the olive oil generously and slip a thin slice of pickled lemon on the side. Eat with a spoon to catch the broth.
Other recipes from the same family
Lamb skewers in ghee
Levantine charcoal-grill staple from Beirut to Damascus: shoulder-cut lamb cubes brushed with clarified butter, threaded on flat skewers, grilled hard and fast so the outside chars while the inside stays pink and juicy.
37 min · 4 servings
Lamb maqluba
The dramatic upside-down rice dish of Palestine and Jordan: layered lamb, fried potato discs and basmati rice cooked together, then flipped onto the platter to reveal an architectural cake of meat and grains.
140 min · 6 servings
Lamb on freekeh
Levantine classic: lamb simmered until tender, freekeh cooked in the broth, finished with olive oil.
110 min · 4 servings
This article relays the public teachings of Dr. Diaa Al-Awadi for educational and informative purposes. It is not medical advice. Consult your physician before any dietary change. Legal notice.