Daniel Boulud’s Provençal Lamb Daube

4 lbs. lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 T salt

2 tsp. espelette or cayenne pepper

½ lb. slab bacon, cut into ½-inch dice

1 large head of fennel, cut into 16 wedges

4 roma tomatoes, quartered and seeded

1 small orange, peel on, cut into thin slices

4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

16 small Yukon potatoes, peeled

4 small carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 small onion, halved and cut into thick slices

4 celery stalks, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup taggiasche or other small olives, pitted

1 bottle (750ml) Pinot Noir or similar red wine

1 sachet (1 cinnamon stick, 2 tsp. each fennel seed, black peppercorns, and coriander seed wrapped in cheesecloth and tied with butcher's twine)

1 bouquet garni (3 sprigs basil, 1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs thyme, and 2 sprigs rosemary, tied with butcher's twine)

1 ½ lbs fresh sourdough bread dough, optional

2 egg yolks, whipped, optional

½ cup flour, optional

The day before serving, season lamb and bacon on all sides with salt and espelette pepper.

Place a third of the lamb and the bacon on the bottom of a 5½-quart Dutch oven and top with a third of the vegetables.

Repeat, creating three layers of meat and vegetables, finishing with vegetables.

Add wine followed by sachet and bouquet garni, being sure to submerge them.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.


Preheat oven to 400°F and place a rack in the center.

If using the bread dough, brush the egg yolks onto the outside rim and cover of the Dutch oven.

Sprinkle the yolk with flour, and then press the bread dough around the rim, forming a seal.

Transfer the Dutch oven to a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.

Reduce temperature to 275°F and bake for another 2½ hours.

Remove from the oven to rest at least 15 minutes before serving.