Maman Blancs Slow Cooked Lamb Recipes

SLOW ROASTED ROSEMARY GARLIC LAMB SHOULDER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 240°C/465°F (220°C fan forced).
• Rub the lamb with the olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Use a thin, sharp knife to make 12 incisions in the lamb, deep as you can but without piercing through the bottom of the lamb. (See photo in post and video
• Stuff bits of rosemary and garlic slivers into the holes (chopstick helpful!)
• Place the onion, halved garlic bulb and rosemary in the base of a roasting pan. Place the lamb on top. Pour water around.
• Cover with lid or tightly with a double layer of foil. Place in the oven, and TURN DOWN to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
• Slow roast, covered: Roast, covered with the foil, for 3 hours. (Note 1 for different sizes).
• Brown it, uncovered: Remove foil, check to ensure there's still liquid in the pan. If not, add 3/4 cup water (otherwise onion/garlic will burn). Turn up the oven to 220°C/425°F and roast for a further 20 to 30 minutes, until the skin is browned and crisp.
• Check if ready: By now, you should be able to part the meat with two forks - if not, just cover and return to oven at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) until you can do so.
• Rest: Remove lamb from the roasting pan and transfer to a plate. Cover loosely with foil then a couple of tea towels and let it rest for at least 20 minutes, up to a couple of hours (after this, you may want to reheat).
• Serve with gravy (below). If you want to go all out, make Duck Fat Potatoes or Super Crispy Roasted Potatoes!

MAMAN BLANC'S SLOW-COOKED LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 140°C/fan120°C/gas. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a large, heavy-based casserole. Add the lamb and cook until browned all over. Mix the garlic and thyme with the sea salt and black pepper, stir into the casserole and fry over a gentle heat for 2-3 minutes.
• Pour the stock over the lamb, cover with a lid and place in the oven for 2 hours until the meat is very tender.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan, add the peeled shallots, celery and carrots, and cook until golden. Remove the lamb from the pan and set aside to keep warm.
• Add the browned shallots, celery and carrots to the stock, place over a low heat and simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered. Return the lamb to the pan and heat through. Serve with creamy mashed potato.

SLOW COOKED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Heat oven to 120C/fan 100C/gas ½. Put your largest lidded casserole on the hob and brown the seasoned leg of lamb on all sides - do this very thoroughly until it is a good dark brown as it will not brown during the cooking. (If you don't do it now, it will end up beige.) If the lamb sticks, add a drizzle of oil - legs of lamb differ. Allow 10 mins on a high heat and put on the cooker fan to remove the smoke. Pour away any fat that has collected in the bottom of the pan.
• Throw in the vegetables, followed by the wine and stock. Season and bring to the boil, then clap on the lid and put in the oven. Bake for 7 hrs, turning twice. After 5 hrs the meat will be cooked and offer no resistance to the knife.
• There is no need to rest the meat when cooked in this way, but to finish the sauce, transfer the meat and vegetables to a serving dish. Strain the sauce into a jug and pour or blot away the fat with kitchen paper. Pour the sauce into a pan then boil the liquid hard to reduce by a quarter, by which time it will be rich and flavoursome. Adjust seasoning, add the Armagnac if you wish, and serve alongside the lamb, which should be served with a spoon, a la cuillère as the French call it.

SLOW COOKER LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the lamb and brown on each side for 4-5 mins. Set the slow cooker to low. Melt the butter in a saucepan until foaming, then stir through the flour. Whisk in the stock gradually until incorporated, add the wine and bring to the boil. Set aside.
• Put the onion, garlic, thyme and rosemary into your slow cooker and sit the lamb on top. Pour over the lamb gravy. Put the lid on and cook for 8 hrs or until soft and tender.
• Remove the lamb and set, covered, on a plate. Strain the liquid into a pan and simmer until slightly thickened. Serve the lamb thickly sliced or shredded (it'll be quite soft) with mashed potatoes, green veg and the gravy.

LAMB IN THE SLOW COOKER

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add lamb and cook until outside is browned, about 5 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and add onion to the oil in the skillet. Saute until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• Place onion in the bottom of a slow cooker pot and place the lamb roast on top. Mix water, soy sauce, garlic, and onion soup mix together and pour over the roast. Cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours.
• Remove roast, cover lightly with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes before carving. Mix butter and flour into a paste. Add small pieces of this paste to the hot cooking liquid, mixing well to incorporate. Cook until sauce reaches desired thickness, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Slice roast thinly and serve with gravy.