Lamb Stew with Spring Vegetables

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the canola oil in a medium ovenproof pot or Dutch oven, over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for 5 minutes, until browned. Transfer the bacon to a large plate, leaving the fat in the pan. Dry the lamb with paper towels and toss it in a bowl first with 1 tbl salt and 1 tsp pepper and then with ¹⁄₄ cup of flour. Raise the heat to medium high and cook half the lamb in the bacon fat for 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned. Add the lamb to the plate with the bacon and brown the second batch, also transferring to the plate when ready. Add the garlic to the pot and cook for 1 minute.

Pour the lamb and bacon, along with any juices that collect, back into the pot. Add the beef stock, wine, tomatoes (including the juice), thyme, rosemary, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper and bring to a boil, scraping up the brown bits in the pot. Simmer for 5 minutes, cover and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, onions and turnips, cover and return to the oven for 1 hour until all the vegetables are tender.

Mash the 2 tbl of flour with the room temperature butter in small bowl. Stir the mixture into the stew and simmer on top of the stove for 3 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the peas and season to taste. Serve hot in large shallow bowls with bread.