Crockpot lamb in dill sauce

This is a recipe that came out of a book a friend gave me, it’s a slow cooker, crockpot recipe. Dill is one of those herbs I can take or leave, I find it quite strong tasting, I’m not a keen fan of gravlax for example, but I did enjoy this recipe. It said to use fresh dill but I rarely buy fresh herbs, even though I will admit they taste much better than the dried stuff. They tend to go off before I get round to using them and I hate waste, especially food of any kind. It seems to me, to be such a frivolous waste, throwing food away when so many others are starving and unfortunately I am not talking about the victims of third world famine, either. I am talking about the people in our own countries, on our own door step, that go without and struggle to make ends meet. I always feel terribly guilty when I throw something away like that, even if it was only a bunch of fresh herbs, (although not so fresh now because they have wilted and slimy on the ends from being stunk in a plastic bag) I know that sounds silly, I mean who wants to eat a handful of cilantro/coriander or chives? I mean the waste of money though as well, the cost of a store bought bunch of that stuff, could probably buy a sandwich or a burger from McDonalds for example. The plan is that eventually I am going to grow my own herbs in some large plant pots, I quite like the idea of sage, rosemary, thyme, basil maybe some bay? That’s the idea anyway, eventually, at the moment though I am practicing in the garden, I don’t have very green fingers, I managed to grow a tomato plant during the summer and parsley, mint for a little while and some other plants too, it’s a start, when you consider that a few years ago I was the plant murderer, I haven’t done too badly. Practice makes perfect and I will get there in the end. If there is one thing I do have a lot of, that’s determination and a tendency to eventually get what I want out of life, because of it.  

For a crock pot recipe this is quite fiddly, it’s not just a case of bung everything in the crock and turn it on, leaving it to do its own thing. Although after reading a lot of crock pot recipes I am starting to think that the bung it all in and leave it method, is a misconception entirely. I was aware of browning the meat beforehand and then lobbing it all in the crock. To be honest though I do like the thought of using my crockpot, in other ways than just launching everything in it and walking away, there is not much skill or method involved in that, which in my opinion amounts to no fun at all. This recipe uses very little skill but a little more than just a dump (in the crockpot) and walk!

 

 

Crockpot Lamb in a Dill Sauce

1.3kg lean lamb cut into chunks (2.5cm pieces)

1 small onion, peeled and quartered

1 carrot, sliced

1 bay leaf

4 sprigs of fresh dill, 3tbsp chopped/1tbsp dried

1 strip of thinly sliced lemon peel

750ml boiling stock, lamb or vegetable

1tbsp Olive oil

1tbsp unsalted butter

225g shallots

1tbsp plain flour

115g petits pois

1 egg yolk

75ml single (light) cream

Salt and cracked black pepper

New potatoes and carrots to serve

1. Place all the lamb, your onions, carrot, bay leaf, dill sprigs and the lemon rind into the crockpot, add the stock. Turn the crockpot up to the high setting, cover and cook for about an hour. Then skim the scum off the top. Put the lid back on and either cook for two hours on high or low for four hours, the lamb should be fairly tender.
2. Remove the meat from the crockpot and strain the stock, discarding of the herbs and vegetables. Using kitchen paper wipe the pot clean, return all the meat and half the stock back into the crockpot, keeping the rest for later. Cover and switch the pot onto high.
3. Heat your oil and butter in a skillet and cook the shallots over a gentle heat until browned and tender – this should take about 10-15 minutes. Add the shallots to the pot.
4. Sprinkle the flour over the remaining fat in the pan, then slowly, adding a little at a time add the reserved stock, continuously stirring, bring to a boil until thickened. Once the sauce has thickened add it, the peas and salt and pepper to taste, stir and cook on high until hot, about 30 minutes.
5. Blend the egg yolk and the cream together, stir in 2 or 3 tablespoons of the stock and in a slow thin stream stir into the casserole and keep stirring until slightly thickened, stir in the remaining dill and serve with potatoes and carrots.

Cider Braised Sausages

I like to make even the simplest ingredients into something ’posh’! These sausages are just the posh nosh I am talking about. The good thing about this recipe is that once you’ve cooked everything in the skillet, you can pop it in the crock for later, or in a casserole dish and just leave it on the hob for an hour or so. I prefer the crock method, simply because it takes longer to cook, if you prep all the stuff and then stick it in the crock on those busy days when time is a rare commodity it’s just one less thing to worry about. It only takes about 10-15 minutes to prepare, then it goes in the crock. Hardly anytime at all and you have the rest of the day to get on with all the mundane chores, that need doing in the blissful knowledge that when the day is done, the most effort you are going to have to make to get dinner on the table is a side or two of your choice and to spoon it onto plates! Regardless though of whether you do it in the crockpot or the oven I think you’ll agree that this is a pretty good recipe. At least I hope you do.

Cider Braised Sausage Casserole

6 of your favourite sausages

425ml strong cider

1tbsp cider vinegar

2 large apples, cored and sliced into rings

1tbsp crushed juniper berries

2tbsp Olive oil

1 large onion peeled and sliced into rings

1-2 garlic cloves, depending on your taste, minced

225g smoked bacon, roughly chopped

1tbsp plain flour

1tsp dried thyme

2 bay leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

1.       Over a medium heat, in a large skillet (or casserole pot) heat 1tbsp of the oil and then brown the sausages. Once they are browned transfer them to a plate lined with kitchen paper.

2.       Add the onions, garlic and bacon to the skillet and cook for about 10 minutes, until the onions have softened and the bacon is starting to crisp. Throw away the kitchen paper and place your onions and bacon on the plate too.

3.       Next add the remaining tbsp. of oil to the skillet, when it is hot cook the apples, browning them on both sides, then put them in the crockpot with the other ingredients. Mix the flour with a little water, then add the cider, vinegar and flour mixture to the crock (or casserole) stir gently adding the herbs and seasoning with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer on a low heat, can be left in the crockpot to do its thing for several hours, if you are using a casserole dish on the hob it will take about an hour. Serve with mashed potato and veggies of your choice.