May 31, 2017
The weather in Brisbane has gotten a little colder in the past couple of weeks, which has provided a perfect reason to get out the slow cooker! I mean, it definitely hasn’t been as cold as it was when I lived in Melbourne, and the winter temperatures that constitute “cold” in Brisbane are sort of Spring temperatures in Melbourne, but hey, any excuse for some comfort food!
I’ve been meaning to try some slow cooker dishes for quite some time now. With my partner and I having such busy schedules, it makes it hard to find time to cook dinner. By the time both of us are home and ready to cook, it means we end up eating quite late. But the beauty of a slow cooker I think is two fold. It firstly means that you limit the amount of cooking you need to do when you get home. This is a huge bonus because you know all day that your food is cooking away, and when you get home you are hit with the delicious smell of your dinner already ready to go. I feel like this is the main bonus, because it saves so much time and makes dinner so stress free. My family has always been big into slow cooking for this reason, and so we often have slow roasted meats because it can be put on in the morning and left to cook while everyone is out.
The other benefit of slow cooking is that it is so easy to make a delicious meal. Seriously, I love how you can simply put a whole heap of basic ingredients together, chuck them in the slow cooker, let it cook, and you’re left with this amazing meal at the end. I swear it makes cooking a delicious meal so easy, as you just chuck everything in and set and forget.
So we decided to get a lamb leg from the market on a Sunday, and my partner and I prepped it the night before. It was really fun doing it together, and using some fresh rosemary from our garden! I was so excited to give slow cooking a go, and honestly this recipe is a total winner! I can’t even describe to you how good it will make your house/apartment smell when it’s been cooking away while you’ve been at work. I feel like it was worth making purely for this moment! But in all honesty, this was such a delicious lamb meal, that I knew I had to share the recipe with you all.
- 1.5 kilo boneless leg of lamb
- 1 handful fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 lemon
- 1 brown onion, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup water
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Place your leg of lamb on a chopping board, keeping the string attached. Using a sharp knife, make incisions around the entire leg of lamb, and push in slices of garlic or rosemary intermittently. Ensure that the garlic and rosemary is evenly distributed across the entire lamb leg, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
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Pour the olive oil over the lamb and rub in to ensure it is covered. Heat a fry pan over a medium heat and add the lamb leg to the fry pan. Brown to sear on all sides of the lamb leg, only allowing to slightly brown for a minute or so until you move to another side. Remove from heat when it is completely browned.
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Juice the lemon and place the lemon skins in the bottom of a slow cooker. Add the chopped onion, and then place the lamb leg on top. Pour the lemon juice over the lamb, and add the water into the bottom of the slow cooker.
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Cook the lamb in the slow cooker for about 8 hours on low, or 4 hours on high. The lamb should be cooked through and slightly falling apart.
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Preheat the oven to 200C (400F). Place the lamb leg in a baking dish and cover with foil. Cook in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the top of the lamb is golden.
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Meanwhile, pour the juice from the slow cooker into a fry pan, removing the lemon skins. Simmer on a low heat until it has reduced slightly.
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To serve, remove the lamb from the oven and cut off the string. Slice into pieces and place on a serving platter, pouring over the juice from the fry pan evenly. Serve with potatoes, roasted vegetables or salad.
This lamb was absolutely delicious. The smell was amazing when I got home, but the taste was out of this world. Such simple flavours of garlic, rosemary and lemon came together to make this lamb so delicious. It was also cooked for so long that it just melted in your mouth! My partner even felt that it tasted even better the next day because the juices really soaked into the meat, so make sure that you have some leftovers!
I highly recommend making sure you sear off the meat before you put it in the slow cooker, and also making sure that you give it a bit of time in the oven at the end. It will seriously take your lamb to the next level, and make sure that all the flavours are there 10 fold.
You’d be surprised how easy it was to make, so make sure you don’t get intimidated! I find I always shy away from roasting meat as I feel like it’s hard to pick the right cut and know what to do with it. The beauty of this recipe is that it’s actually really simple, and once you’ve got the ingredients together, you chuck it in the slow cooker and forget about it for a few hours. If you have time in the morning, this is the perfect weeknight meal! Extra points for having something so comforting during the week, it seriously is just as good as a nice warm hug. What a perfect thing to come home to.
What do you love making in the slow cooker? I’d love to hear more recipes!
Until next time, happy eating!
Ella xx
