I’ve recently rediscovered lamb, as an alternative meat. Lamb isn’t a cheap meat to buy, but tends to be a quality meat so worth the extra spend. It’s amazing slow-cooked, with great flavour and texture. A really satisfying dish during the cold winter months. It’s also a hit with my Kids, who for some reason aren’t overly keen on chicken at the moment.
Simple Slow Cooked Minty Lamb Casserole – Serves 4
You will need:
1 x Standard Slow Cooker
A minimum of 700g (1.5lb) of diced Lamb up to 1kg (2lb) depending on portion size required
1 x Large Onion (or 2 x Small)
1 x Stock Cube
1 x Tablespoon of Flour
Blackpepper
2 x Large Carrots (or 3-4 Small)
2-3 x Celery Stalks
1 x Clove of Pressed Fresh Garlic
1 x Tablespoon of Dried Thyme (or a good shake!)
1 Pint of “watered down” Gravy (Fresh or Instant)
Mint Sauce (to taste)
Instructions:
1. If it isn’t already, dice the lamb into chunks approx 1″ square.
2. Heat a heavy bottomed pan on high and then reduce to a medium heat and add the meat. There shouldn’t be any need to add oil or fat. Lamb isn’t a dry meat and will cook easily in it’s own juices.
3. Once the lamb starts to seal and turn brown, crumble over a stock cube (I use beef as I have them to hand), and also sprinkle over the flour. Grind the blackpepper over a few times and coat the meat evenly in the ingredients.
4. Peel and finely chop the onion and add to the pan, then turn heat to low whilst you prep the other vegetables. Keeping an eye to ensure the contents do not burn.
5. Turn slow cooker onto low.
6. Peel and dice the carrots and add to the slow cooker, then dice the celery and add also.
7. Add a clove of pressed garlic and also a good sprinkle of dried thyme.
8. Remove pan from heat and add the contents to the slow cooker and stir.
9. Make up 1 pint of gravy either from scratch or instant, I use onion gravy granules for ease and taste. It needs to be a watered down version for slow cooking, so I add one heaped teaspoon to 1 pint of boiling water and stir until dissolved.
10. Pour the gravy over the lamb and vegetables and stir. Do not fret if it does not completely cover the ingredients, the meat and veg will shrink as it cooks. If you add too much fluid, as a slow cooker does not reduce liquids (much!) you will end up with a very watery meal.
11. Leave for at least 6 hours on low, you can leave for longer (I leave mine for 8-9 hours when out all day).
12. 20-30 minutes before serving use a two tiered steamer to steam chunked peeled white potatoes on the bottom tier and extra winter vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower on the top. I then put the potato through my potato ricer (amazing invention) and cream with a fork adding butter and mustard to taste.
13. When ready to serve, plate up the extra veg and mash on warm plates.
14. Finally thicken the gravy in the slow cooker with additional gravy granules or cornflour, and add mint sauce to desired taste.
15. Serve!
*Don’t forget that as tempting as it may be to lift the lid and have a stir or a sniff of the lovely aroma, that everytime you do it will increase cooking time by 20 minutes. Reduce the need to stir by always ensuring that you have stirred well when adding everything initially.
** Please note that I am not a qualified nutritionist or professional cook. My recipes are what I put together at home and all amounts etc… are approximate. What I write is my own experience of cooking the recipe. Ovens and ingredients do vary – just go with it, have fun and apply common sense at all times! Practise makes perfect!
Spread the word and let’s start a Slow Cooker revolution!
Please let me know how it goes – or if you have experimented and improved on this recipe please let others know in the comments below
Most of all have fun!
This looks delicious. Jo, could you recommend a particular brand of slow cooker? I had seen a Williams-Sonoma one, but the reviews were mixed, and besides, it is very expensive.
The beauty of slow cookers is that they are a simple bit of kit. I have 3, and have paid £15 (is that about $23?) or less for each one. 2 of the cookers I use most are supermarket own branded ones. Slow cooking is very basic, and because it is ‘slow’ there is quite a lot of contingency in cooking times so timers etc… aren’t really required (IMO) – When you are cooking for 6-8 hours it is quite different to a recipe that states 20 mins on a certain temp in a traditional oven – 5 mins either way could make a huge difference in this case! One thing to bear in mind (and this is critical) is the size of the cooker. To feed a family of 4 a slow cooker that has an internal capacity of 3.5 litres (Standard) is about right. My first slow cooker I purchased was a 6.5 litre one, and was the same price as the smaller ones. I thought I was getting a bargain, but it affects cooking times etc… Too large and your meal will cook too quickly. I use Big Ben for stocks and batch cooking (8 portions plus). Please bear in mind that different brands may have different cooking times, I have experienced this, but you quickly get used to it and adjust what you cook accordingly. Brenda (my Veggie and Pud one) takes longer to warm up for some reason, but as I do not cook meat in her it doesn’t matter as much. A meat thermometer is also a good idea when getting started as certain meats require a minimum internal temp to kill bacteria. I’ve never had a problem yet, but it is something I am going to invest in this year as a double check. If you need any help e-mail me the link to the cooker and I’ll give you my opinion. So pleased you are looking at them yay! Jo x
This looks delicious. Jo, could you recommend a particular brand of slow cooker? I had seen a Williams-Sonoma one, but the reviews were mixed, and besides, it is very expensive.
The beauty of slow cookers is that they are a simple bit of kit. I have 3, and have paid £15 (is that about $23?) or less for each one. 2 of the cookers I use most are supermarket own branded ones. Slow cooking is very basic, and because it is ‘slow’ there is quite a lot of contingency in cooking times so timers etc… aren’t really required (IMO) – When you are cooking for 6-8 hours it is quite different to a recipe that states 20 mins on a certain temp in a traditional oven – 5 mins either way could make a huge difference in this case! One thing to bear in mind (and this is critical) is the size of the cooker. To feed a family of 4 a slow cooker that has an internal capacity of 3.5 litres (Standard) is about right. My first slow cooker I purchased was a 6.5 litre one, and was the same price as the smaller ones. I thought I was getting a bargain, but it affects cooking times etc… Too large and your meal will cook too quickly. I use Big Ben for stocks and batch cooking (8 portions plus). Please bear in mind that different brands may have different cooking times, I have experienced this, but you quickly get used to it and adjust what you cook accordingly. Brenda (my Veggie and Pud one) takes longer to warm up for some reason, but as I do not cook meat in her it doesn’t matter as much. A meat thermometer is also a good idea when getting started as certain meats require a minimum internal temp to kill bacteria. I’ve never had a problem yet, but it is something I am going to invest in this year as a double check. If you need any help e-mail me the link to the cooker and I’ll give you my opinion. So pleased you are looking at them yay! Jo x
This looks delicious. Jo, could you recommend a particular brand of slow cooker? I had seen a Williams-Sonoma one, but the reviews were mixed, and besides, it is very expensive.
The beauty of slow cookers is that they are a simple bit of kit. I have 3, and have paid £15 (is that about $23?) or less for each one. 2 of the cookers I use most are supermarket own branded ones. Slow cooking is very basic, and because it is ‘slow’ there is quite a lot of contingency in cooking times so timers etc… aren’t really required (IMO) – When you are cooking for 6-8 hours it is quite different to a recipe that states 20 mins on a certain temp in a traditional oven – 5 mins either way could make a huge difference in this case! One thing to bear in mind (and this is critical) is the size of the cooker. To feed a family of 4 a slow cooker that has an internal capacity of 3.5 litres (Standard) is about right. My first slow cooker I purchased was a 6.5 litre one, and was the same price as the smaller ones. I thought I was getting a bargain, but it affects cooking times etc… Too large and your meal will cook too quickly. I use Big Ben for stocks and batch cooking (8 portions plus). Please bear in mind that different brands may have different cooking times, I have experienced this, but you quickly get used to it and adjust what you cook accordingly. Brenda (my Veggie and Pud one) takes longer to warm up for some reason, but as I do not cook meat in her it doesn’t matter as much. A meat thermometer is also a good idea when getting started as certain meats require a minimum internal temp to kill bacteria. I’ve never had a problem yet, but it is something I am going to invest in this year as a double check. If you need any help e-mail me the link to the cooker and I’ll give you my opinion. So pleased you are looking at them yay! Jo x
ive just bought my first slow cooker. i made a mixed up concoction yesterday and it tasted fine, no one moaned, not even our dog when he tried it. However i want to get serious and follow a recipe. I have decided to try a lamb cassarole and viewed a few online. I have decided to try this one so we will see how it goes and I will be back with what happened. StephenCebu
Hi Stephen
Slow-cooking changed my life. It is such an easy and versatile way to cook and this recipe you can’t go wrong with. In fact any casserole works really well, as do curries.
Just go with it and see what happens.
This is a really old post so I haven’t included photos. On my more recent ones I do include photos. Check out the chicken pie one – you could do this as a casserole with potatoes rather than a pie-crust. Jo
https://simplybeingmum.com/2012/02/08/simple-slow-cooked-chicken-and-mushroom-pie-recipe-plus-a-wedding-photo/
ive just bought my first slow cooker. i made a mixed up concoction yesterday and it tasted fine, no one moaned, not even our dog when he tried it. However i want to get serious and follow a recipe. I have decided to try a lamb cassarole and viewed a few online. I have decided to try this one so we will see how it goes and I will be back with what happened. StephenCebu
Hi Stephen
Slow-cooking changed my life. It is such an easy and versatile way to cook and this recipe you can’t go wrong with. In fact any casserole works really well, as do curries.
Just go with it and see what happens.
This is a really old post so I haven’t included photos. On my more recent ones I do include photos. Check out the chicken pie one – you could do this as a casserole with potatoes rather than a pie-crust. Jo
https://simplybeingmum.com/2012/02/08/simple-slow-cooked-chicken-and-mushroom-pie-recipe-plus-a-wedding-photo/
ive just bought my first slow cooker. i made a mixed up concoction yesterday and it tasted fine, no one moaned, not even our dog when he tried it. However i want to get serious and follow a recipe. I have decided to try a lamb cassarole and viewed a few online. I have decided to try this one so we will see how it goes and I will be back with what happened. StephenCebu
Hi Stephen
Slow-cooking changed my life. It is such an easy and versatile way to cook and this recipe you can’t go wrong with. In fact any casserole works really well, as do curries.
Just go with it and see what happens.
This is a really old post so I haven’t included photos. On my more recent ones I do include photos. Check out the chicken pie one – you could do this as a casserole with potatoes rather than a pie-crust. Jo
https://simplybeingmum.com/2012/02/08/simple-slow-cooked-chicken-and-mushroom-pie-recipe-plus-a-wedding-photo/
Nice cassarole thx for sharing xx