Lamb is the traditional meat to have for your Easter lunch but let’s face it, we don’t need an excuse to serve this delicious meat any time of the year.
This slow cooker version of a leg of lamb is the perfect option for your next roast. It not only guarantees a delicious and tender roast, but you can also make a gravy out of its juices. Plus, it saves space in the oven for the rest of your trimmings which means for less stressful hosting.
A leg of lamb is naturally quite tough, since the muscle has had to work so hard, so benefits from being cooked low and slow in a slow cooker.
This recipe is cooked in lamb stock and red wine to create a delicious gravy to serve your lamb with. The slow cooker maximises the flavour of the lamb by locking in all of the aromas of the stock and wine under the highly efficient and well-sealed lid. The stock and red wine also keeps the lamb meat succulent during cooking as the condensation hits the lid and falls back into the slow cooker, meaning the meat reabsorbs any flavoursome moisture.
If you’d like to intensify the flavour of your gravy, you can choose to add 1tbsp of chicken or beef instant gravy granules instead of cornflour at the end of the cooking time, and simmer on the hob until thickened.
A leg of lamb is delicious when served with our best ever roast potatoes, and for a wine pairing, it’s really a matter of preference. Lamb is an incredibly versatile meat and pairs well with lots of different types of wines including Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc, and a fruity Rosé.
In terms of herbage, feel free to mix this up. We find that woody herbs such as rosemary, thyme or oregano work best and if you only have dried herbs, use 1tsp instead.
If you can’t find lamb stock, then substitute it for chicken or beef stock. Fresh liquid stock will yield more flavour than a stock cube, although it’s a more expensive option.
If you’re looking to get the most out of your leftovers make sure you refrigerate or freeze your lamb within 90min of cooking it. Make sure it’s room temperature (getting it into the freezer as soon as it reaches this point) and covered, either in an airtight container or wrap well with cling film. You can keep your lamb refrigerated for up to two days, and frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, defrost your lamb in the fridge overnight.
When reheating your leftovers, make sure they are piping hot all the way through. You can’t reheat your leftovers more than once, so it’s sensible to freeze your lamb in portions and only defrost what you need.
Lamb leftovers are incredibly versatile and make light work of recipes that usually require hours of simmering so try any leftovers in something like a curry, salads, pilaf and stews.
Ingredients:
- 2.0 kg / 4 lb lamb leg, bone in (Note 1)
- 1 tsp salt
- black pepper
- 2 large garlic cloves , minced
- 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme OR rosemary (or 2.5 tsp finely chopped fresh)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups / 500ml beef stock (or chicken) (Note 2)
- 1 sprig rosemary , optional
GRAVY:
- 50 g / 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp / 40 g flour (any white)
- 2 cups / 500 ml braising liquid from slow cooker , strained
- Salt and pepper
Instructions:
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Place lamb in slow cooker or on work surface. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme or rosemary and garlic. Drizzle over oil, then rub on both sides.
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Pour beef stock into slow cooker, add sprig of rosemary (if using).
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SLOW COOK on low for 10 hours, or pressure cook on high for 1 hour 40 minutes.
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The lamb should be tender enough to pull off with tongs, but still holding together (just!). Carefully remove lamb from slow cooker and transfer to tray.
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Drizzle lightly with oil (any). Bake at 200C/390F for 20 minutes or until browned. Remove and rest for 10 minutes before serving with gravy.
GRAVY:
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Strain liquid in slow cooker into a bowl – you will have more than the 2 cups of broth you added, I usually have over 3 cups. Measure out 2 cups of liquid, reserve remaining liquid just in case.
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Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute.
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Add a bit of liquid, mixing as you go so it dissolves. Then add remaining liquid. Whisk if there are lumps.
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Increase to medium high heat and cook, stirring regularly, until thickened to your taste. Use remaining liquid to thin if required.
Recipe Notes:
A 2kg / 4 lb bone in lamb equates to about 1.5kg/3lb boneless lamb, same cook time.
If your lamb is about 1 – 1.25kg / 2 – 2.5lb, you can reduce the cook time to 8 hours. If your lamb is larger than 2.25kg /4.5lb, increase it to 12 hours.
2. If you use chicken broth, the gravy is slightly lighter in colour. The reason I use broth and not just the lamb juices is that lamb juices are very…well, LAMBY. 🙂 Too lamby for gravy. I find that 2 cups of broth combined with lamb juices = perfect gravy flavour.
3. OVEN: See the Slow Roasted Lamb Leg recipe!
4. Servings – 2kg/4lb bone in is about 1.5kg / 3 lb of meat which reduces to about 1.2kg/2.4lb of meat after cooking. This serves 4 generously or 5 for normal servings (in my opinion!).
5. Nutrition – This is a conservative calculation because it doesn’t take into account the lamb fat and drippings that are discarded (which accounts for plenty of the calories!). Unfortunately I don’t know how to estimate that, so I’ve not made an adjustment to exclude discarded fat.