Lamb Fricassee in the Instant Pot

Lamb and Greens stew in a Greek Avgolemono Lemon sauce!

Watch the Video:

I love the comforting flavors of Lamb Fricassee. The instant pot version is easy to make and cooks in half the time. It’s a lamb and greens stew finished with a velvety Greek lemon sauce known as Avgolemono. You can choose your favorite greens, and they don’t always have to be the same. In my video, I used romaine and mustard greens. However, you could use collard greens, turnip greens, spinach, kale, or amaranth if you can find them. They all wilt nicely and retain their texture, adding heartiness to the stew. If you don’t have an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, here is the stovetop version!

Why you’ll love it, too!

• Fall apart Lamb
• Rich lemony sauce
• Wilted greens
• Delicious lemony Lamb Fricassee stew in half the time!

Classic Arnaki Fricassee ingredients

• Bone-in leg of lamb pieces –substitute boneless lamb or even beef
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Ground black pepper
• Scallions –thinly sliced
• Greens: Romaine lettuce, mustard greens, spinach, and/or amaranth
• Finely chopped dill

For the Avgolemono Sauce:

• Egg yolks
• Lemon juice
• Salt
• Corn starch

Lamb tips

I like to use bone-in lamb, but you can use boneless lamb or even beef if you prefer. Even though this is a pressure cooker recipe, I broil the lamb pieces first to save time. I can broil all of the lamb pieces at the same time but would have to brown them in the instant pot in batches. So, in the spirit of saving time, I use my broiler. Do what works best for you!

How to cook Lamb Fricassee in the Instant Pot

• Preheat the oven to the broiler setting.
• Place the lamb on a metal baking tray and drizzle with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, and season both sides with salt and black pepper.
• Move the oven rack as close to the heating element (broiler) as possible and place the baking tray on that rack. Allow the meat to brown for 10-15 minutes.
• Next, add the meat to the Instant Pot. The juices that have been released in the baking tray can be discarded or added to the Instant Pot. Lamb tends to be greasy, so discard the juices if you prefer a lighter stew.
• Add half of the scallions along with salt, pepper, 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, and 4 cups of water or broth to the pot.
• Place the lid on top and set the valve to seal.
• Pressure Cook on high for 25 minutes, then allow the pressure to release for 20 minutes naturally.
• Then, open the valve to release the remaining pressure.
• Wash, dry, and coarsely chop the greens, and add them to the pot with dill, salt, and black pepper.
• Set the Instant Pot to the sauté feature for about 10 minutes or until the greens have wilted.

Make the lemon sauce:

• In a small bowl, whisk together the yolks, lemon juice, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt.
• Then, add a small amount of the hot broth to the mixture while whisking to temper the eggs.
• Continue to add up to about 2 cups of water or broth while whisking, and then pour the egg mixture into the pot.
• Swirl the pot around to distribute the avgolemono sauce.
• Sauté for 4-5 minutes for the sauce to thicken.
• Then, turn the machine off and taste the sauce. Adjust the seasoning if needed.

Serving

I serve this straight from my Instant Pot, but you could transfer it to a large serving bowl with a ladle to set on your table. The lamb and greens are all right in the stew, and I don’t want to miss a drop of the delicious lemon sauce. So, I serve my Fricassee with toasted bread. You could even add a side salad, but I recommend just eating more bread with lemon sauce. Kali Orexi!

More Instant Pot Recipes:

• Instant Pot Cabbage Rolls
• Instant Pot Chicken Kapama
• Instant Pot Lentil Soup
• Instant Pot Greek Lemony Chicken Soup
• Instant Pot Youvetsi

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Instant Pot Greek Lamb Fricassee

Yield: serves 6

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Ingredients

• 3 lbs (1 1/2 kg) bone-in leg of lamb pieces
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
• 8 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 pound (1/2 kilo) greens: Romaine lettuce, mustard greens, spinach, and/or amaranth
• 1/4 cup finely chopped dill

For the Avgolemono Sauce:

• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4-1/2 cup lemon juice
• a pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon corn starch

Instructions

Preheat the oven to the broiler setting.

Place the lamb on a metal baking tray and drizzle with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Season both sides with salt and black pepper. Move the oven rack as close to the heating element (broiler) as possible and place the baking tray on that rack. Allow the meat to brown for 10-15 minutes.

Add the meat to the Instant pot. The juices that have been released in the baking tray can be discarded or added to the Instant Pot. Lamb tends to be greasy so discard the juices if you prefer a lighter stew.

Add half of the scallions along with salt, pepper, 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, and 4 cups of water or broth.

Place the lid on top and set the valve to seal.

Pressure Cook on high for 25 minutes. Allow the pressure to naturally release for 20 minutes. Then open the valve to release the remaining pressure.

Wash, dry, and coarsly chop the greens. Add them to the pot along with the dill and some salt and black pepper. Set the Instant Pot to the Saute feature for about 10 minutes or until they've wilted.

In a small bowl whisk together the yolks, lemon juice, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt. Add some of the hot broth to the mixture and whisk together to temper the eggs. Add about 2 cups of water or broth and then pour it into the pot. Swirl the pot around to distribute the avgolemono sauce.

Saute for 4-5 minutes. The sauce will thicken. Turn the machine off and taste the sauce. Adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve with toasted bread.

Kali Orexi!

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