Slow Cooker Leg of Lamb

 

 

 

  Not too long ago, a friend was kind enough to gift me a huge leg of lamb. (Yes, I have pretty awesome friends!) My first thought was "ok.. I've never cooked a leg of lamb before... how am I gonna tackle this?" It sounds a little daunting doesn't it? Seriously, the only lamb dish I've ever made was a stew that I made from cut up pieces of lamb stew meat (which was AMAZING btw) but it wasn't an entire leg roast. 

  But then I thought of the slow cooker. That makes easy work out of a pot roast or a pulled pork, right? How hard can it be? I'm sure it would be the same thing with lamb. So that's exactly what I did! This recipe is the same exact thing as one would do for a beef roast, and it all works perfectly with lamb. Potatoes, carrots, onions, fresh and/or dry herbs, and few seasonings.. that's all there is to it!

  This is the perfect thing for your Easter holiday meal, but it would be equally good for any week night dinner. No muss no fuss! Doesn't seem so daunting now, does it?!

 So the next time a friend gifts you a four-pound leg of lamb, now you know what to do! 

 

 

1 4lb leg of lamb 

1 onion, roughly chopped

4 or 5 potatoes, cut into quarters or eighths 

1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into chunks (can also use baby carrots)

a few springs fresh thyme or a tsp dried thyme leaves

1 few sprigs fresh rosemary or a big pinch of dried rosemary leaves

a good pinch each of salt and pepper

2 or 3 bay leaves

5 or 6 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup of chicken broth

a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce

1 cup of red wine, or a few splashes of good balsamic vinegar

 

 

 

 

Place all ingredients in a large slow cooker.

Cover and cook for 8 or 9 hours on low. 

Remove all items from the slow cooker to a large serving platter.

Discard sprigs of herbs and bay leaves.

Slice the meat. It will be fall-apart tender.

Using a ladle, spoon away some of the fat from the liquid in the pot.

Make a slurry of about 1/2 cup COLD water or chicken broth and a couple tbs flour. Vigorously stir the slurry into the liquid and turn the slow cooker to high. Let it thicken for about a half hour or until desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Pour gravy over all and serve.

 

 

Tips:

If you want to, you can brown the lamb on all sides in a hot pan before you add it to the slow cooker. That makes a deeper richer flavor, but it's still delicious even if you don't. I didn't feel like washing a pan this morning, so I just threw everything into the slow cooker, boom, done.

Instead of cooking all day on low, you can cook it on high for 4-5 hours. Personally, I think low and slow is the better way to go. It really takes a while for that meat to break down and fall off the bone.

Use any kind of root vegetables you like. I used carrots and potatoes because I had them on hand, but feel free to use parsnips or turnips, anything you like!

When you make the gravy, be sure to use COLD water or broth to make the slurry. If you use hot water or just throw flour into the hot liquid, the flour will clump and you'll have lumpy gravy. Nope!

 

Joey's Lamb Stew

 If you know me, you know how much I love a fabulous hearty stew. It's just one of those things that makes the whole house smell like home. And as many times as I've made beef stew, oddly enough, I had never tried lamb stew. We never had lamb growing up, probably because it's a tad more expensive than beef. But now that I can afford a little splurge when I feel so inclined, I decided to make it. So, I looked for a few recipes. Basically, many of the recipes that I found can be used for beef or lamb, so I wondered what the difference would be.
 Let me just tell you, if you've never tried it before, you simply must! There is a HUGE difference! For me it was not only the taste, but it was also the texture of the sauce. The meat just fell apart, just as any beef cubes would, but the sauce was so velvety and rich! OMG I couldn't stop eating it.
 So if you're looking for a something other than corned beef or ham and cabbage this St. Patrick's Day, give this one a try. On second thought, don't even wait until then. You should make this right away! Like, today. Like, right now. If you like a hearty stew, I just bet you'll love this one.

Flour for dredging
1-1/2 pounds lamb stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
5 or 6 strips bacon, cut into thin pieces (or lardons)
3 medium onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
3 or 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 lb carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
a bundle of fresh thyme sprigs, tied together
3 or 4 bay leaves
1 pkg frozen peas
few splashes Worcestershire sauce
Fresh parsley, optional

 Heat oven to 350ºF.
Place flour in a large resealable plastic bag. Add lamb, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat. In a Dutch oven, brown lamb in batches in 2 tablespoons oil. Remove and set aside. In the same pan, saute bacon until some of the fat is rendered. Add onions and continue to cook until they begin to soften. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add broth, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Return lamb to the pan. Add potatoes, carrots, thyme bundle, and bay leaves. Cover and place in oven for about 2 hours. Remove from oven and place pot over low heat on the stove. Remove bay leaves and what is left of the thyme bundle. Make a slurry by adding a few tablespoons of flour to the same amount of cold water. Add to the stew and stir until thickened. Add the peas and Worcester sauce. Adjust seasoning if needed. Top with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.

Tips:
I like to braise the meat in the oven and then thicken it on the stove afterwards, but you can just simmer it on the stove for a couple hours until the meat is tender and skip the oven altogether. You could also do the whole thing in the crock pot. Just brown it up as directed and then cook it on low for 9 or 10 hours. I'd still wait until the end to add the Worcestershire sauce and the peas.
If you can't find lamb cubes for stew, you can use lamb shanks or chops and then pull the meat off the bones after it is cooked. Not a fan of lamb? Use beef instead!!
Now I'm just waiting for someone to ask how the lamb stew is so I can say "not baaaaaad". LOL