Braised Leg of Lamb With Celery Root Purée

Name: Braised Leg of Lamb With Celery Root Purée
Total time: 5 h
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 Shank end leg of lamb (4 1/2 pounds), bone-in, rinsed and patted dry; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 tablespoon, plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 3/4 teaspoons pepper; 2 cups chicken stock; 1 bottle fruity white wine; 3 small onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced; 3 large carrots, peeled, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds; 1 large parsnip, peeled, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds; 2 rosemary sprigs; 2 sage sprigs; 1 bay leaf; 1/2 cup pitted and coarsely chopped green olives; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 4 medium celeriac bulbs about 3 1/2 pounds, peeled and diced; 4 garlic cloves, peeled; 2 bay leaves; 2 tablespoons kosher salt, more to taste; 8 tablespoons butter; Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

By Melissa Clark

Updated Nov. 14, 2023

Braised Leg of Lamb With Celery Root Purée — Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Total Time: 5 hours
Rating: 4(439)
Notes: Read community notes

A five-hour braise yields a tender, intense and velvety leg of lamb, soft enough to cut with the edge of a spoon. Carrots and parsnips lend sweetness to the pot, while a handful of chopped green olives add a bracing bite. Serve on a bed of garlicky celeriac puréed so smooth it could double as a creamy sauce.

Featured in: Seven-Hour Lamb, in About Five

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

For the Lamb

1Shank end leg of lamb (4½ pounds), bone-in, rinsed and patted dry
3tablespoons olive oil
1tablespoon, plus ½ teaspoon kosher salt
1¾teaspoons pepper
2cups chicken stock
1bottle fruity white wine
3small onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
3large carrots, peeled, sliced into ½-inch rounds
1large parsnip, peeled, sliced into ½-inch rounds
2rosemary sprigs
2sage sprigs
1bay leaf
½cup pitted and coarsely chopped green olives
2garlic cloves, finely chopped

For the Celery Root Purée

4medium celeriac bulbs about 3½ pounds, peeled and diced
4garlic cloves, peeled
2bay leaves
2tablespoons kosher salt, more to taste
8tablespoons butter
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
To prepare the lamb: Heat oven to 450 degrees. Rub the lamb with 1 tablespoon of oil, and season it with 1 tablespoon salt and 1½ teaspoons pepper.
Step 2
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the stock and wine to a boil; allow to reduce for 10 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in the carrots and parsnips, ¼ teaspoon salt, the remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper, rosemary, sage and bay leaf. Turn off the heat and add just enough stock to cover the vegetables. Place the lamb, fatty side up, on top of the vegetables.
Step 4
Transfer the pot to the oven, uncovered, and cook for 25 minutes. Then add the remaining stock, cover the pot and reduce heat to 325 degrees. Cook for 1½ hours, at a bare simmer, reducing heat if necessary, then turn the lamb over. Cook 1½ hours longer and turn the lamb over again. Uncover the pot and stir in the olives. Cook another hour, turning the lamb after 30 minutes. At this point the lamb should be soft enough to cut with a serving spoon. If not, cover the pot and continue to cook until it is.
Step 5
After the lamb has cooked for about 3 hours, prepare the celery root purée: In a large saucepan, combine the celery root, peeled garlic cloves and bay leaves. Pour in 12 cups water and 2 tablespoons of kosher salt. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain, discard the bay leaves and transfer the celeriac and garlic to a food processor. Add the butter and nutmeg; process until very smooth. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Keep warm.
Step 6
Just before serving, mash the finely chopped garlic and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt to form a paste. Stir it into the lamb’s pan juices.
Step 7
To serve, make a bed of celery root purée on each plate. Cut the lamb with a serving spoon, and lay some of it over the celery root, along with some vegetables and pan juices.

Ratings

4 out of 5

439 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Deepika6 years ago

Can you use a full leg of lamb (instead of just the shank?)

Juliet Jones6 years ago

Benjamin, personally I don't think this is best way to cook a LEG of lamb, because the more tender meat does not need such slow cooking. But the shank, which has more collagen, is great cooked this way. Makes it really tender and the collagen melts away.

Lizanne Pastore5 years ago

For those curious about the missing tomato directive, I simply used a 28 oz can of good DOP Italian Marzanos. I drained the juice from the can into the stock mixture to reduce and then added tomatoes with the parsnips/carrots. It was great. Like others, agree that long braising is best with shanks. I used 3 good sized lamb shanks, not a "leg" of lamb which most butchers butterfly. I reduced the cooking times a bit b/c 3 separate smaller shanks didn't need as much time as a huge leg.

autumn5 years ago

Just to clarify the tomato confusion, I followed the link to the article with the original recipe and it states that she substituted the usual tomatoes with green olives, so the typo is in the description, not the recipe. I chose to use a can of diced tomatoes drained instead of the olives because my family doesn’t like green olives. (Added when the recipe calls for the olives so they still hold their shape) It was outstanding. I think you could go either way depending on personal preference.

John Chicago5 years ago

I made this recipe for Easter 2019. I braised the leg the day before in the oven in a cast iron pot. On Sunday I sliced the meat off the bone, returned it to the pot, and warmed the pot on the stove top. As it warmed the meat fell apart and the whole thing turned into this delicious dish that resembled pulled pork. Served the meat, vegetables, and olives on a bed of puréed celery root. Everyone loved it! I should add here that the butcher was skeptical about braising the leg, but it was worth it

Joanne6 years ago

Has anyone tried to do this a day ahead?

Susan4 years ago

Used 3 lamb shanks as my butcher was not keen to cut a leg of lamb in half for me. Turned out superb. Adding the garlic paste in at the end is genius. So so delicious.

Melissa3 years ago

I have made this several times and it has always been delicious. This last time I couldn't get lamb shanks and used beef short ribs instead which did not disappoint. I don't use the olives since most of my family aren't fans of them. And for a quicker meal, I use half of the liquids and cook it in the instant pot.

SeaGal3 years ago

This was incredible and less complicated than the list of ingredients/instructions would indicate. I misremembered what I was supposed to get and bought a lamb shank instead. It was about two pounds so I cut the braising time to an hour in each step, and in about three hours, the meat was falling off the bone tender. I’m glad I remembered tomatoes in the description and added a 15 oz can the last hour. The dish needs the acidity and the green olives add additional complexity.

Alice Kaiser4 years ago

lovely, succulent meat and deeply flavored juices. I used a boned, rolled leg of lamb (what I had) and it worked fine. Also made a puree of butternut winter squash (what I had), which was very good with the meat and juices.

PattyB4 months ago

This recipe is superb as is! I made the celery puree with addition of a few white potatoes week before and froze. Defrost day of making lamb and whip well.

David Look5 years ago

You should be fine up to one day ahead.

TG4 years ago

The lamb was not to my liking, but the celeriac was fantastic. Will make it again.

Vermont Maid1 year ago

This recipe worked well for me and our dinner guests. I made it the night before and felt the ease of having everything ready for our dinner together. The lamb was indeed extremely tender, melt in your mouth quality as a result of the braising. I am amazed more people haven't reviewed this recipe - it is stellar and I will make it many more times over in my life. Highly recommend!

geteb3 days ago

Not something I wd make again. Used 4 lamb shanks & reduced cooking time (thanks, Lizanne), but while the kitchen smelled wonderful during the braising, the final product was mushy veggies & a watery broth. Thought abt making a roux to thicken it, but didn't think it was worth the effort. So many better lamb shank recipes out there - avgelomeno is superb.

PattyB1 month ago

Sear w olive oil fatty side down until brown. Then set aside and follow recipe as written

PattyB1 month ago

I sear the lamb fat side first in two tbs olive oil until brown turn and sear on other side. Then put it aside and do rest as written. I do this because mine never browned w out searing!

PattyB4 months ago

This recipe is superb as is! I made the celery puree with addition of a few white potatoes week before and froze. Defrost day of making lamb and whip well.

Chelsea5 months ago

I swapped the olives for a 15oz can of diced tomatoes. Drained them and added them when it called for the olives and otherwise followed the recipe as stated. This was one of the most delicious meals I’ve even made or eaten. My family concurred, including my 6 year old.

Josée5 months ago

I made this twice already and will do this again. It is so easy, not a lot pf prepping, you kind of forget that it is cooking in the oven, just have to put the timer to remind you to turn the lamb over! I had already made a pie earlier to free the oven. I put the lamb in the oven about 5 hours prior to serving. I made a nice soup as a starter while the lamb was Cooking and cooked the celeriac, mashed it and reheated it in the microwave before serving. It was a lovely meal.

Terry9 months ago

Good to see a leg of lamb recipe in the NYT. Australians eat lots of lamb, but I thought the US was not fond of it. This was emphasised in the anti lamb/mutton "The Wink" Seinfeld episode.

Yuri L1 year ago

Has anyone tried this recipe in an instant pot?

Addy1 year ago

This was amazing. I made it with 3 lamb shanks.. 1 per person.. used the olives from the olive bar at Whole Foods with fruit and garlic.. I ended up doing 25 min 450 uncovered, 1.5 hrs 325 covered, flipped it, 1 hr at 325 covered, add olives and do 1 hour uncovered; I did just 2 celeriacs and that was plenty.. used immersion blender, only 4 tbsp butter

Josée1 year ago

Excellent dish, not complicated and superb flavours. I could not find a leg with the bone so used a deboned leg. It was excellent. The purée was also delicious, could not find enough celery root at the store for the recipe so I added a large potato, the taste was mostly created by the celery root and was a nice accompaniment to the lamb.

Vermont Maid1 year ago

Wandafanda2 years ago

Just barely enough meat for 6 people and it was 4 1/2 lbs. I did cook the shank end leg and it didn’t need the last half hour of cooking. I also added a 15 oz can of diced tomatoes along with the olives because why not. The smell is amazing! Will eat tomorrow.

Kater2 years ago

I'm an amateur but this turned out great! I added a little bit of garlic when I put it in the oven and I substituted halved grape tomatoes for the olives (added at the same time). Could not have been more pleased! Did a lot of the prep the day before, which helped.

Claire3 years ago

I made this for Easter with a whole leg of lamb and Pinot Gris. It was delicious. Very low effort and high return. The celery root purée really took it over the top.

Rachel3 years ago

This was fantastic. “Restaurant quality” as my fiancé called it. I used a semi boneless leg, an off dry Riesling for the wine, tomatoes instead of olives (as mentioned in the description, other reviewers suggested you can do either or) and subbed fennel for parsnip as it’s what I had on hand. Sounds like a lot of subs, I know, but the essence of the dish was the same. There was much rich flavor, I will definitely make this again.

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