Tiella of Lamb with Fennel, Pecorino, and Potatoes

Name: Tiella of Lamb with Fennel, Pecorino, and Potatoes
Yield: serves 4 to 6 as a main course
Ingredients: 2 pounds lean boneless shoulder of lamb, cut into 2-inch chunks; 2 cups whole milk; 2 bay leaves; 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds; 1 sprig rosemary; 2 cloves garlic, sliced, plus 1 clove whole; 5 tablespoons olive oil; 1 red onion, sliced; Salt and freshly ground pepper; Flour for dusting; 2 1/2 pounds boiling potatoes, such as Red Bliss or Yellow Finn; 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; 3/4 cup grated aged sheep’s milk cheese, such as pecorino sardo or pecorino toscano; 1 cup fresh bread crumbs

January 24, 2012

Paula Wolfert and I revised this fabulous dish of hers for cooking in my wood-fired oven. The key is to cook it until the lamb is falling-apart tender. The recipe is adapted from Paula’s book, The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen. It comes from the southern Italian region of Apulia, where it is baked in a shallow terra-cotta dish called a tiella. You can make it entirely in the wood-fired oven, or cook the onions and brown the lamb on the stove top, then move it all to the oven to finish cooking.

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