Lamb Loving Chefs: Ethan Stowell – Staple & Fancy

Restauranteur and Chef Ethan Stowell of Staple & Fancy

In honor of Lamb Lovers Month we talked to some of Seattle’s top chefs about their tips, pairings, recipes and more. In this week’s “Lamb Loving Chefs” post (see the first installment on Trellis Restaurant Executive Chef Brian Scheehser here) we stopped by Staple & Fancy to speak with restaurateur and chef Ethan Stowell. Dine at any one of Stowell’s four restaurant (besides Staple & Fancy there is How to Cook a Wolf, Tavolata and Anchovies & Olives) for a simple yet artfully prepared meal using fresh and local ingredients. When asked what he loved most about lamb Chef Stowell said, “Lamb is one of my favorite meats. I have very fond memories of my dad’s mustard roasted leg of lamb as a kid. He would stuff cloves of garlic and rosemary into the flesh and slow roast it until rare. Then he’d brush the lamb with a mixture of mustard and olive oil for the last 30 minutes of cooking. If was always one of my favorites! These memories of my first lamb experience continue to inspired me to explore all the possible ways that I can use lamb in my dishes. Here is the lamb ragu recipe we serve at the restaurants. Enjoy!”

Potato Gnocchi and Lamb Ragu with Oregano and Mint (Serves 4)

• 2 28-oz. cans San Marzano tomatoes
• 2 cup un-oaked dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio
• 1 1/2 lbs. boneless lamb shoulder, ground
• 1 cup finely diced carrots
• 1 cup finely diced onion
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup each chopped mint, oregano, and parsley, leaves only
• One recipe Potato Gnocchi (see below)

Heat two tablespoons olive oil over high heat in a Dutch oven or high-sided pan. When the oil is hot, add ground lamb. Brown the meat over medium-high heat about 8-10 minutes, stirring to break up any lumps. Add carrots, onion, celery, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender. Add wine, stirring and scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce wine by half.

While wine is reducing, empty tomatoes and their juice into a bowl. Use your hand to roughly crush the tomatoes (watch out for splatter!) then add tomatoes and their juices to the pot. Add bay leaves and bring ragu to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, about an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes or until the meat is quite tender, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. While the ragu is cooking, check to make sure the liquid doesn’t run dry. If the liquid evaporates before the meat is tender, you can add a little water as necessary to prevent scorching, stirring to incorporate. When the sauce is ready, it should be a thick sauce with good body. Just before serving, add fresh herbs and toss to incorporate.

In a large bowl, toss cooked gnocchi with ragu. Drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil and serve.

Potato Gnocchi

• 2 large russet potatoes, scrubbed
• Olive oil, for rubbing
• Kosher salt
• 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup “00” flour, plus more for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place potatoes on a sheet pan. Rub them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, then place in the oven and bake for about 1 hour, or until tender. Transfer the potatoes to a rack and let rest until cool enough to handle.

Lay a sheet of parchment paper on a sheet pan. Put the potatoes through a ricer, letting them fall onto the parchment and discarding the skins. Spread the potatoes out on the parchment and allow them to rest until warm, but not hot enough to cook the egg yolks. Gather up the parchment and dump the potatoes into a medium-size bowl.

Add the egg yolks to the potatoes and stir to combine. Sprinkle the flour over the top of the mixture and knead gently in the bowl until the egg and flour are distributed. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and continue to knead, adding extra flour as necessary, until the dough is no longer sticky.

Divide the dough into quarters. Roll each quarter into a log about 1/2 inch in diameter, and then cut crosswise into 1-inch intervals. If your recipe calls for sautéing the gnocchi, you can leave them as little dumplings. If you want to create ridges to hold sauce, you can use either a gnocchi paddle or the tines of a fork. For the gnocchi paddle, roll each dumpling gently but firmly diagonally across the paddle, letting each dumpling fall onto a well-floured sheet pan as you finish. To use a fork, invert the fork so that the tines point
down. Starting at the tines nearest the handle, roll the dumpling firmly but gently down the tines, creating a bit of a curve and ridges as you go, allowing the dumpling to fall off the ends of the tines and onto a well-floured sheet pan.

You can hold the gnocchi on a sheet pan, as long as they are not touching, for a few hours, but better yet, do as we do in the restaurants. We blanch them at this point, which enables you to hold the gnocchi for up to a day in the refrigerator.

To blanch, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the gnocchi, 15 to 20 at a time, just until they float to the surface, 1 to 2 minutes. Either add sauce and serve immediately, or place on an oiled sheet pan and cover with plastic wrap.

Staple & Fancy
4739 Ballard Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107
Open Sunday through Monday for dinner (5-11 p.m.)