Lamb Casserole in the Slow Cooker

slow cooked lamb casserole with potatoes close up.

4.63 from 24 votes

Lamb Casserole in the Slow Cooker

Incredibly tender lamb casserole in the slow cooker, this might be the most undemanding Easter meal you could possibly cook. More time left for baking cakes…

Prep Time40

Cook Time6

Total Time6 40

Course: Stews

Cuisine: American, Irish

Servings:

Calories: 897kcal

Author: Adina

Ingredients

1 kg/ 2.2 lbs boneless lamb shoulder or leg Note 1
about 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
125 g/ 4.4 oz bacon cubes Note 2
2 medium onions
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
125 ml/ 4.2 fl. oz/ ½ cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2-3 bay leaves
250 g/ 8.8 oz carrots 2-3 depending on size
750 g/ 1.7 lb potatoes
750 ml/ 25 fl. oz/ 3 cups stock preferably low-sodium or unsalted (Note 3)
2 tablespoons corn starch
2-3 tablespoons cold water
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon cider or red wine vinegar more to taste
fine sea salt and black pepper Note 4

Instructions

Cut the meat into large cubes, about 3-4 cm/ 1.5 inch. Dry very well with kitchen paper. Set aside.
Chop onions and garlic and set them aside separately from the meat. Chop the bacon.
Heat a Dutch oven or another heavy-bottomed pan. Add bacon. There is no need for oil, the bacon will render its fat. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring.
Add onions and garlic, stir well and cook for another 3 minutes. Add tomato paste, stir well for 1 minute.
Deglaze the pan with the red wine, scraping the bottom as well, for about 1 minute. Pour the contents of the pan into the slow cooker.
Wipe the pan clean with kitchen paper, be careful, it’s hot!
Place one batch of the meat cubes in a bowl, add a little of the flour, and toss well.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the Dutch oven. Fry the meat pieces in 2 or 3 batches until golden, about 3-4 minutes per batch, turning the meat a few times in between. Only flour the next batch of meat just before it goes to the pan and add a little more of the oil between the batches. Don’t overcrowd the pan or the meat will stew instead of searing. Transfer all the meat to the slow cooker.
Peel the potatoes and the carrots. Cut them into larger chunks. Place in the slow cooker.
Add thyme, rosemary, 2-3 bay leaves, salt, pepper, and stock. The amount of salt you need depends on the stock (Note 4).
Turn on the slow cooker and cook for about 6 hours on high and about 8 hours on low.
Once the meat and the potatoes are as tender as you want them to be, mix the corn starch and the water to obtain a thick paste. Whisk the slurry into the gravy. If the slow cooker is on high, the sauce will thicken almost instantly. If not, cover the pot again and simmer for about 5-10 minutes more until the sauce thickens.
Adjust the taste with salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar.

Video

Notes

If the meat still has the bone in, look for a piece weighing about 1.3-1.4 kg/ 3 lbs, a little more or less is ok. Cut the meat off the bone and use the bone to make stock.
It is preferable to use bacon cubes and not rashers. You can also buy a piece of bacon and chop it yourself.
I had homemade lamb stock. Chicken or beef stock can be used instead.
The amount of salt you need depends very much on the stock you are using. It is preferable to use low-sodium or unsalted stock, just to be sure that the gravy is not overly salted. My homemade stock is not overly salted, so I take about 1 teaspoon fine sea salt in the beginning and adjust the taste at the end. Bought stock is usually much saltier, so you will have to be careful there, add less at the beginning. Taste the sauce during the last hour of the cooking time and decide then if the gravy needs more salt.

Nutrition