Slow Cooked Leg of Lamb with Vegetables

The slow cooker is wonderful for cooking any cut of meat and in the summer it does it in an energy efficient way and without creating heat in the kitchen.

In this recipe we use fresh vegetables from the garden and cook a whole leg of lamb in the crock pot.

When cooked, the lamb is flavourful and moist and just falls off the bone and the bonus is the vegetables that we have cooked along with it. It can be a complete meal cooked in one pot and is so easy to achieve.

img_20161231_182530-slow-cooker-and-leg-of-lamb — After 8 hours the meat is falling off the bone.

Slow Cooked Leg of Lamb with Vegetables

Ingredients:

I leg of lamb ( that will fit into the slow cooker that you are using)
6 slices of short cut bacon
1 large sweet potato, peeled and sliced on the diagonal
3 medium carrots, sliced and cut rough pieces on the diagonal
2 onions, cut into eights ( or 6 small whole pickling onions)
1 stick of celery, sliced on the diagonal
3-4 large cloves of garlic, peeled and quartered lengthwise
fresh rosemary
olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
McCormick’s chicken seasoning ( or your favourite roast seasoning)
1/4 cup stock
500 g frozen peas, rinsed with warm water and left for 5 minutes to bring them to room temperature

Method:

I have used a 5.5L Breville Slow Cooker and a 2.5 Kg leg of lamb
Ask your butcher to cut the bone end off the leg of lamb and keep this to cook along with the rest. This will help the joint of meat fit into the cooker
Place all the chopped vegetables; sweet potato, carrots, onions, celery into the slow cooker and pour over the 1/4 cup of stock
Seson the vegetables with a little ground black pepper and salt and stir through
Turn on the slowcooker and set to low and cover with the lid while you prepare the meat. This will preheat the cooker
Pat dry the leg of lamb and bone end
With a sharp knife make deep cuts into the lamb
Push the slivers of garlic and a sprig of rosemary into each cut
Heat some olive oil and the knob of butter in a large saucepan over a medium high heat
When the butter has foamed, brown the leg of lamb and bone end on all sides in the hot oil till it is sealed completely
Sprinkle liberally with salt, fresh ground pepper and the chicken seasoning over the whole joint of lamb
Lower the leg of lamb and the bone end onto the vegetables in the slow cooker
Place some branches of fresh rosemary over the lamb and pour over the pan juices rendered from the browining of the lamb
Cover the lamb with the slices of bacon and put the lid on
Cook for 8 hours
When the lamb is cooked carefully remove the bacon and set aside while you lift the leg of lamb onto a plate. You will need to do this carefully with strong metal implements as the lamb is so tender it will fall off the bone. Cover the leg of lamb loosely with foil to rest for about 15-20 minutes while you finish off the vegetables.
The cooked leg of lamb removed from the slow cooker and ready to be covered with foil and lef to rest
Place the peas into the liquid that has come from the cooked lamb, making sure that they are covered and place the bacon slices over the top
Cook for a further 10 minutes or until the peas are cooked to your preference
Once the lamb has rested you can turn off the cooker and keep everything warm by removing the lid from the cooker, placing a sheet of foil over the cooker and resting the dish holding the meat over the top. This will keep everything warm as you set up
When ready to serve, remove the vegetables from the slow cooker into a serving dish with a slotted spoon.
The cooked vegetables and bacon cut up served as a side dish.
Carving the leg of lamb is so easy because the meat is so tender and juicy that it just falls off the bone
Make a gravy to serve with the lamb using some of the pan juices or serve the lamb with mint sauce or your favourite mustard
Serve the leg of lamb with the vegetables and some oven baked Brussels sprouts. You will find the recipe at the link here.

Living Sustainably – Creative ways to use the leftovers:

You can save the bones from cooking the lamb to make bone broth from the recipe here.

You can, if you wish, puree the vegetables and cooking liquid to make a vegetable soup to have on another day.

Use the cooked vegetables to make Vegetable Pasties. You can find the pastry recipe here with the other preparation and other details. Pat dry the vegetables with kitchen paper. As the vegetables are already cooked, less time is needed to finish them: Form the pasties and bake for 10 mins at 200º C , then lower to 180º C and cook until the pastry is well browned.