Name: Karoo lamb potjie
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 210 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Braai
Ingredients: 2 kg lamb knuckles; oil for drizzling; salt and black pepper; oil for frying; 2 onions peeled and chopped; 2 celery stalks chopped; 2 carrots peeled and chopped; 3 cloves; 1 cinnamon stick; 5 anchovy fillets chopped; 3 garlic cloves chopped; 3 sprigs fresh rosemary picked and chopped; 2 bay leaves; 1/4 cup cake flour; 2 bottles beer Darling Brew Gypsy Mask; 2 tins chopped tomatoes; 200 g portobello mushrooms halved; 4 orange sweet potatoes washed and cut into chunks; 500 g cake flour plus extra; 2 tsp baking powder; 1 1/2 tsp salt; 100 g butter; 1 tbsp fresh chives chopped; 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped; 1 1/4 cup water

Recipe Disclaimer

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Ingredients (25)

2 kg	lamb knuckles
	oil — for drizzling
	salt and black pepper

For the potjie

	oil — for frying
2	onions — peeled and chopped
2	celery stalks — chopped
2	carrots — peeled and chopped
3	cloves
1	cinnamon stick
5	anchovy fillets — chopped
3	garlic cloves — chopped
3 sprigs	fresh rosemary — picked and chopped
2	bay leaves
1/4 cup	cake flour
2 bottles	beer — Darling Brew Gypsy Mask
2 tins	chopped tomatoes
200 g	portobello mushrooms — halved
4	orange sweet potatoes — washed and cut into chunks

For the dumplings

500 g	cake flour — plus extra
2 tsp	baking powder
1 1/2 tsp	salt
100 g	butter
1 tbsp	fresh chives — chopped
1 tbsp	fresh parsley — chopped
1 1/4 cup	water

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Method:

Drizzle the lamb with oil and season well with salt and pepper. Braai over hot coals until the exterior is well caramelised. Set the meat aside in a dish.

To make the potjie, preheat a number 3 potjie with the oil over medium-high-heat coals. Add the onions, celery, carrots, cloves and cinnamon. Fry until the vegetables begin to soften and brown. Add the anchovies, garlic, rosemary and bay leaves and fry for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the flour and fry for a minute. Pour in the beer to deglaze the pot, add the tomatoes and the meat along with any resting juices. Give it a good stir to combine, cover and simmer for 2 hours. At the 2-hour mark, add the mushrooms and sweet potatoes, cover and cook for another 30 minutes.

To make the dumplings, mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Rub the butter into the flour, then stir in the herbs. Pour in the water and mix until the dough comes together. Turn out onto a floured surface. Break off golf-ball-size pieces and roll into balls.

After 30 minutes, remove the pot lid and place the dough balls on top of the stew. Replace the lid and spread some coals on the top of the lid (see Baking on the Braai p. 48.) and cook for another 30 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let it rest uncovered for at least 10 minutes.

While the dumplings are cooking, make the salsa verde. Add all the ingredients to a bowl and whisk well to combine. Serve with the potjie.

Beer Pairing: Darling Brew Gypsy Mask – we like to think it’s the amber malts reflecting the copper hues in a dusty Karoo sunset that make this pairing, but really it’s the nutty, malty sweetness complementing the earthy flavours in this heartland dish.

Recipe extract from Beer Country’s Pots, Pans & Potjies by Karl Tassendorf and Greg Gilowey. Published by Penguin Random House South Africa.