Slow Cooked Shoulder Of Lamb Casserole Recipes

SLOW COOKED SHOULDER OF LAMB CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Heat the slow cooker to high or the oven to 300 F / 150 C / Gas 2.
• Heat the oil in a deep-frying pan or casserole on the stove top until hot but not burning. Add the lamb and sear on all sides. Remove the lamb to a plate and keep the pan warm.
• Slip the 6 cloves of garlic into the flesh of the lamb and the rosemary sprigs under the string holding the lamb together. Sprinkle with the flour and let rest.
• Into the hot pan in which the meat was browned, add the onion, carrots, and leeks. Stir well so the vegetables pick up the meat juices and the flavor of the oil. Cook for 2 minutes.
• Raise the heat and add the wine. Cook until the wine is barely a glaze on the bottom of the pan. Add 1/4 of the stock and stir well.
• Put the lamb into the slow cooker (or casserole) and add the vegetables, wine reduction, the remaining stock, parsley, and bay leaves.
• Cover then bring to a simmer (if using, place the casserole in the heated oven). Cook gently for 6 hours or until the lamb is tender.
• Check that all the vegetables are cooked and the lamb is tender. If the sauce is not thickened enough, pour just the sauce into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add 1 tablespoon flour mixed into 1 tablespoon butter to the boiling liquid whisking all the time, this is called a beurre manié . Cook for 5 minutes then add the sauce back to the meat. Cook for a further 5 minutes. If any of the fat from the meat is on the surface, remove with a spoon.
• Adjust the gravy to your taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• The meat should now be simply falling apart, so place chunks onto warm plates and serve with freshly cooked mashed or boiled potatoes and additional vegetables as required. If you can make this recipe in advance, we suggest making it the day before so the dish has time to flavor for an even tastier casserole. After cooking, cool down the casserole, place in the fridge overnight, and the next day, remove the fat which will have settled on the surface before reheating and thickening. Lamb is quite a fatty meat and this skimming helps to reduce it.

SLOW-COOKED GREEK LAMB

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and sit a shelf as low as possible. Pierce the lamb all over with a small knife, then fill each slit with a garlic clove and half an anchovy fillet. Rub all over with the oil, then season.
• Heat a flameproof casserole dish and sear the lamb all over until well browned. Take off the heat, remove the lamb from the dish and tip in the tomatoes, carrots, sage and rosemary. Sit the lamb on top and scatter over the thyme.
• Cover the dish, slip it onto the bottom shelf of the oven and cook for 4-5 hrs until pull-apart tender. Carefully lift the lamb from the dish, discard the herbs and roughly squash the tomatoes into the juices. Sit the lamb back in the dish and serve in big shredded chunks with tzatziki, chickpea salad and flatbreads for mopping up the juices.

SPANISH-STYLE SLOW-COOKED LAMB SHOULDER & BEANS

Steps:

• To make the spice mix, combine all of the ingredients together with a large pinch of salt. Slash the lamb shoulder all over with a sharp knife and rub in. If you have the time, marinate for up to 24 hrs, but this is not essential.
• Heat the oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish or roasting tin over a medium-high heat, add the onions, carrots and garlic and sizzle for 5 mins until the onions and carrots are softened. Pour over the stock, then bring to the boil. Nestle the lamb in the pan and cover, then transfer to the oven and roast for 2 hrs.
• Uncover and transfer the lamb to a plate using tongs. Stir the beans, peppers and olives through the stock in the pan, sit the lamb back on top and return to the oven, uncovered, for 1 hr 30 mins until the lamb is cooked through. Transfer the lamb to a board and shred using two forks. Stir the parsley through the braised beans before serving.

SLOW-COOKED IRISH STEW

Steps:

• Heat the slow cooker if necessary, then heat the oil in a frying pan. Sizzle the bacon until crisp, tip into the slow-cooker pot, then brown the chunks of lamb in the pan. Transfer to the slow-cooker pot along with the thyme, onions, carrots, potatoes, stock, bay leaves and enough water to cover the lamb. Cover and cook on Low for 7 hrs.
• Stir in the pearl barley and leek, and cook on High for 1 hr more until the pearl barley is tender.
• Stir in the butter, season and serve scooped straight from the dish.

SLOW-ROASTED SHOULDER OF LAMB

Steps:

• Make the marinade. Blitz 1 halved shallot, 4 garlic cloves, 4 cherry tomatoes, 2 anchovies, ½ tsp toasted cumin seeds, ½ tsp toasted coriander seeds, ½ tsp pink peppercorns, 2 tbsp rosemary leaves, leaves from 1 thyme sprig, chopped leaves from a small bunch mint, 70ml white wine, 4 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp brown sugar and zest of juice of 1 lemon in a food processor.
• Pierce 2kg lamb shoulder all over with a sharp knife, put it in a large roasting tin and slather the marinade onto the meat, coating thoroughly.
• Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for at least 3 hrs, preferably overnight.
• Take the lamb out of the fridge at least half an hour before you cook it to bring it to room temperature. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.
• Put 3 onions, each sliced into 3 thick disks, in the roasting tin, resting the lamb on top. Cover with tented foil and roast for 5 hrs, basting the meat occasionally.
• Remove from the oven, transfer the lamb to a board and allow to rest, covered, for at least 30 mins.
• Return the tin of onions and marinating juices to the oven to keep warm.
• Combine zest ½ lemon, 1 crushed garlic clove and 1 tbsp finely chopped mint in a bowl.
• Pull the lamb apart with forks and serve with the roasted onions and gremolata scattered over.
• Skim off any fat from the juices and serve alongside the lamb.You can use the leftover meat in Rosie's lamb shoulder flatbread recipe (see 'goes well with').

THREE-HOUR SHOULDER OF LAMB

Steps:

• Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Mix the garlic, oregano and olive oil with some salt and pepper. Slash the lamb all over and rub the mixture into the meat. Place into a deep casserole dish with the onions and pour over the stock, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook 3 hrs.
• Remove the lamb from the pot, stir through the peas and broad beans. Sit the lamb back on top of the vegetables and return to the oven. Increase temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and roast, uncovered, for another 20-30 mins until the lamb is browned, adding the lettuce for the final 5 mins. Allow to rest for 20 mins, then add the lemon juice and mint to the cooking juices around the lamb. Remove the string, carve into thick slices and lay them back on top of the veg to make serving easier.