Lamb and I are not friends. The first time I ever attempted to cook a leg of lamb, I overcooked it, it shrunk considerably, was barely edible and my home reeked of lamb for a good straight week. I have attempted grilled and broiled lamb chops but to no avail. I just can't seem to get it right.
Lucky for me, this Irish Lamb Stew recipe from Healthy Eats is so simple that I couldn't possibly mess it up. In fact, I simplified it even more by using pre-cut Lamb stew chunks insteading of processing a big piece of lamb myself. In the early morning, I processed all the vegetables and threw everything in a crockpot and later that evening I had delicious Irish Lamb Stew. Can't get easier than that.
Ingredients:
2 pounds of lamb chunks for stew
5 yukon gold potatoes peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
3 celery stalks and celery leaves sliced
3 carrots peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
2 leeks sliced
2 cups of chicken broth
thyme leaves
salt and pepper to taste
parsley or chives to garnish
You'll need a crockpot/slow cooker for this recipe. Set it at 8 hours or at the lowest heat setting.
Process your leeks by removing the other piece, rinsing the stalks, slicing them down the middle then slicing them across until you get half-moon slices. Add the slices to a bowl of cold water and swish them around with your hands, separating the slices with your fingers. This will help get the grit out.
Peel and chop your potatoes and carrots into one inch chunks. Slice your celery. Season your lamb chunks with salt and pepper. Add to your crockpot.
Add your 2 cups of chicken broth and your thyme leaves. Stir.
Cook for 8 hours in your crockpot. If you have time to stir, do so every couple of hours. It's not absolutely necessary though but it does help distribute the heat.
Garnish with chives and enjoy with a nice slice of Irish Soda Bread.
Next up: Irish Soda Bread (after the Sunday Roundup)
3 comments:
Now that looks like a yummy and easy recipe. My only suggestion would be to sear the lamb chunks briefly on all sides in a pan before putting them in the crockpot with whatever juices they release.
Tommy - Given my previous issues with cooking with Lamb, I was perfectly happy without searing it beforehand and just throwing it into the crockpot with hardly any handling whatsoever. I don't think that step was necessary in this stew because the Lamb came out tender and flavorful.
I do however like to sear pork and beef before putting it into stews or slow-cooked soups. Sometimes I skip, but for the most part I sear.
I think, by far, you are my biggest critic! :-)
Hmm. I'm not that familiar with crockpots, how they work or behave. But I'm familiar with the French pressure cooker which I believe is a similar method, minus the pressure.
I always sear my meat before it goes in a stew. the searing "closes" the meat and adds flavour to the stew, but I guess any method is good as long as the results are satisfying.
I have a splendid ribs recipe wich calls for a reverse method. First you boil the ribs and then you sear them, so I guess anything goes.
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