- Serves 4 (plus lots of leftover meat) - Ready in 7 to 9 hours -
*** Adjust the cooking time according to the size of your lamb leg - 1kg will take 6 hours (on 1 hour high plus the rest low), 1.5kg will take 7 hours (on 1 hour high plus the rest low) and 2kg will take 8 hours (on 1 hour high plus the rest low)***
Gather together…
Half leg of lamb, about 1kg / 1.5kg or use a full 2kg lamb leg (but you or the butcher will need to hacksaw the end off to fit it in !). It MUST be LEG meat, as other cuts of lamb go tough when cooked slowly - thank you farm shop butcher for that lightbulb-moment slow cooker explanation!
*** Adjust the cooking time according to the size of your lamb leg - 1kg will take 6 hours (on 1 hour high plus the rest low), 1.5kg will take 7 hours (on 1 hour high plus the rest low) and 2kg will take 8 hours (on 1 hour high plus the rest low)***
3 fresh / frozen rosemary sprigs (freeze any leftover sprigs, so they are ready to use quickly in future recipes).
Pinch of ground pepper.
Pinch of salt.
2tsp 'Marigold Less Salt Swiss Vegetable Bouillon powder' (available in bulk 1kg tubs) or 1 stock cube.
200ml boiling water.
Small (187ml) bottle of red wine (or a small-ish glass of wine from an opened full-size bottle).
Gather together to add to the gravy…
1 tbsp cornflour.
1 tsp redcurrant jelly / strawberry jam / raspberry jam.
(optional) 2 heaped tsp gravy granules - N.B. Bisto Gravy Powder is packaged only in card/paper.
Serve with…
Mashed potato (this will take about 30 minutes to make - find a recipe on the GoodFood website).
and
Roast potatoes made from scratch (they will take about an hour to make - find a recipe on the GoodFood website).
OR
Aunt Bessie's frozen-ready-to-bake mini roasties (now made without palm oil - yay!), which take 25 minutes.
and
Ready sliced frozen carrots microwaved in 2 cm of water for 6 minutes.
OR
Chantenay carrots (a cheaper version of 'baby carrots'), microwaved on 'high', in 1cm water, for 5 - 10 minutes, until tender.
and
Peas (frozen), microwaved on high, in 1 cm water, for 4 minutes.
Mint sauce (from a jar).
Gravy (from the slow cooker juices).
Get cooking…
1. Boil half a kettle of water (for the stock).
2. Remove and discard any obvious fat from the lamb leg (if present). Check the lamb leg will fit in your slow cooker - if not then take a (clean) hacksaw to it!
3. Season the leg of lamb well with a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper.
4. Place the lamb (and the off-cut if you have sawed any off) into the slow cooker pot.
5. Place the 3 rosemary sprigs into the slow cooker.
6. Dissolve 2 tsp of SIEVED stock powder / stock cube in 200ml of boiling water, in a separate jug so you can stir it well.
7. Being careful not to wash all the salt and pepper off the lamb (i.e. pour the liquids down the side of the meat), add the 200ml of stock and the 187ml (mini bottle) of red wine to the slow cooker. A large proportion of the lamb meat will be poking out above the liquid - this is fine as if there is too much stock the lamb will taste watery.
8. Cook the lamb in the slow cooker on HIGH for 1 hour. Set a timer to tell you when one hour is up.
9. Next continue to cook the lamb on LOW according to the size of the lamb leg...
1kg will take 5 hours on low (after first cooking it on HIGH for 1 hour).
1.5kg will take 6 hours on low (after first cooking it on HIGH for 1 hour).
2kg will take 7 hours on low (after first cooking it on HIGH for 1 hour).
10. Now set a timer for the END of the LOW temperature cooking time and a timer for HALFWAY through this cooking time too.
11. Halfway through the cooking time, VERY carefully (using tongs and someone to help you with a fish slice or similar) turn the lamb over, avoiding sudden movement as the hot liquid could splash you. However, don’t leave the pot uncovered for longer than you need to, as the meat will cool and take longer to cook.
12. An hour before the end of the cooking time, start to boil your potatoes for mashed potato and for roast potatoes (unless you are using Aunt Bessie's frozen mini roasties like me).
13. Once the lamb is tenderly cooked, turn OFF the slow cooker. You will be using the cooking liquid shortly, so leave it to cool slightly in the turned off slow cooker. Transfer the cooked leg of lamb to a lidded dish, (I use a 22cm / 2.2 litre, circular Pyrex dish), ensuring the side you want your diners to see is uppermost. 14. Wrap the dish in a tea towel or two to keep the heat in and sit it close to / on top of the warm oven. Let the cooked lamb rest until it's time to serve it - there's no need to slice it in advance, just put the dish on the table and diners can pull bits off with tongs as it is so tenderly cooked. Easy!
15. Preheat the oven to 220 C (200 C fan) or Gas 7 - for the roast potatoes.
16. Meanwhile remove the fat from the liquidy stock in the slow cooker by using a gravy-fat separator jug (or let the stock cool in a cool jug for fifteen minutes, and then remove the floating fat with a spoon). Put the fat into a cup to discard in the bin later once it has cooled and hardened (don’t put the fat down the sink!) Don't rinse out the slow cooker, as you will making the gravy in it next.
17. Remove any rosemary stalks and bits by rinsing out the slow cooker. Then pour the fat-removed stock back into the slow cooker and turn it into gravy... To thicken it, switch the slow cooker to HIGH. In a small bowl or cup mix the 1 tbsp of cornflour with 4 tsp of cold water, stir to dissolve fully and add this to the gravy in the slow cooker.
18. Stir the gravy for 5 minutes to properly dissolve the cornflour.
19. If using jam that is thick, chop it up first with scissors to avoid a big lump. Stir in the 1 tsp redcurrant jelly / strawberry jam / raspberry jam and leave the gravy to heat and thicken whilst the roast potatoes cook (i.e. for 20 - 30 minutes).
20. Put your roast potatoes into the oven and set a timer for them.
21. Ten minutes before serving time, check the gravy in the slow cooker - if it still looks too thin then pour it into a saucepan on the hob, dissolve the 2 tsp of gravy granules in 1 tbsp of COLD water (in a cup) and add that to the gravy - Bisto Gravy Powder is packaged only in card/paper. Heat on the hob (on medium heat) and stir every minute or so until the gravy thickens.
22. Serve the lamb with roast potatoes, peas, carrots, mint sauce from a jar and the gravy.
Adapted slightly from a Good Housekeeping recipe.