Slow cooker Irish stew

A meltingly tender stew recipe, with minimal prep – get it in the slow cooker in next to no time, and leave it to work its magic. ”

Serves: 8
Time to make: 8 hrs , allow 6-8 hrs

Total cost: $ 18.36 / $ 3.06 per serve

(at time of publication)

Ingredients

4 lamb shanks
1 large onion, chopped
1 leek, thinly sliced
3 carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 swede, peeled and chopped
2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons plain flourall purpose flourX
1 ½ cups salt-reduced beef stock
several large sprigs fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon salt
good grinding black pepper
fresh parsley, chopped, to garnish

Instructions

1 Lamb knuckles are less expensive than shanks (which used to be cheap!). Knuckles are not ‘Frenched’ – in other words, they haven’t been neatly trimmed of all fat and sinew by the butcher before you buy them. They do have plenty of meat though. Grilling them quickly before cooking releases some of the fat, meaning less to skim off at the end.

2 Preheat the grill and place the knuckles on a rack in the middle of the oven and grill for a few minutes, turning once or twice to release some of the fat.

3 Place the vegetables into a plastic bag with the flour, give it a good shake around then arrange half the prepared vegetables in the bottom of the slow cooker, add the knuckles and pile on the remainder of the vegetables, sprinkling in the garlic as you go.

4 Add the salt, pepper, rosemary and stock and cook on high for 6-7 hours or on low for 8-9 hours. When cooked, discard the bones, then allow the liquid to settle and skim the fat off the top with a long-handled spoon.

5 Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve piping hot with green vegetables, or enjoy as is.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Kilojoules 1030kJ

Calories 246cal

Protein 16g

Total fat 11g

–Saturated fat 5g

Carbohydrates 20g

–Sugars 7g

Dietary fibre 5g

Sodium 310mg

Calcium 80mg

Iron 2.5mg

Note: Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. For a guide to purchasing healthier packaged goods and general grocery items see here.

HFG tip

Check first that your slow cooker will fit 4 lamb knuckles. Sizes and shapes of cookers vary – if yours is smallish, you may need to use slightly fewer vegetables. Add extra stock when reheating this dish, as the mixture will thicken when cold. To make this dish without a slow cooker, simmer everything, once you’ve browned the meat, in a large pot on the stove for 2-3 hours.

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