A potjie normallly gets made in a three-legged or even a flat cast-iron pot when on a stove top. Flat pots are also used for breads or sauces. The combination of oxtail and lamb makes this one unique.

Serves 4 – 6

Ingredients

• 45 ml (3 Tbsp) cooking oil
• 1 kg lamb neck, cut into 2 cm pieces
• 300 g pickling onions, peeled (about 15)
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 kg oxtail, cut into pieces
• 1 litre (4 cups) beef stock
• 200 ml (¾ cup) dry red wine
• 125 ml (½ cup) lemonade
• 30 ml (2 Tbsp) tomato paste
• 15 ml (1 Tbsp) light brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick  
• 2 ml (¼ tsp) ground mixed spices  
• 1 bay leaf  
• 45 ml (3 Tbsp) chopped fresh rosemary or 15 ml (1 Tbsp) dried
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste  
• 3 medium potatoes, quartered 
• 250 g green beans, cut in half
• 2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 250 g button mushrooms, quartered
• 45 ml (3 Tbsp) fruit chutney
• about 30 ml (2 Tbsp) cake flour, dissolved in a little water

Method

1. Heat the oil in a cast-iron potjie or heavy-based large pot on the stove. Fry lamb neck until golden brown. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until soft. Remove all from pot and set aside.

2. Add the oxtail to the pot and fry until golden brown. Add half of the stock, wine, lemonade, tomato paste, sugar, spices, bay leaf, rosemary and seasoning. Simmer, covered, for about 1 hour.   

3. Return the lamb neck with onions and garlic, simmer for another 1 hour, adding remaining stock.

4. Add potatoes, beans, and tomatoes and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for a few minutes until soft. Add chutney and thicken, if needed, with flour and water.  

5. Serve with potbrood and butter.

Variation

• Substitute the baby onions with 2 medium onions.

Tips

• Oxtail is less tender than lamb, therefore it cooks for longer than the lamb neck.
• The secret of a successful oxtail potjie is to simmer the meat slowly over a long cooking time. 
• A potjie keeps well to the next day, as the flavour matures even more.
• With a potjie, the harder vegetables normally get added first and softer ones, such as mushrooms, on top, for the last 20 minutes of cooking.

Watch Recipes for Love and Murder season 2 every Thursday at 20:00 on M-Net 101 or catch up on DStv Stream. Join the conversation on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok using #RecipesLoveMurder.