Slow Cooker Lamb in Zesty Lemon Sauce

 Note: I was sent a copy of The Greek Slow Cooker for review. Opinions are mine alone.

It’s been quite a while since I posted. Since sheltering-in-place became our new normal in Philadelphia, I’ve been cooking a lot of my old recipes, but haven’t had the creativity (or honestly, the energy) to make many new recipes. In the hopes of having some inspiration, I started paging through some of the many cookbooks I have, and came across this recipe for Arnaki Lemonato – Slow Cooker Lamb in a Zesty Lemon Sauce.

This recipe is from The Greek Slow Cooker: Easy, Delicious Recipes from the Heart of the Mediterranean.

Written by Eleni Vonissakou, the cookbook is a great source of Greek dishes adapted for slow cookers and includes 75 different Greek recipes. I adapted the recipe below a bit for what I was able to get through my local grocery delivery options.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs baby potatoes (cut the larger ones up so that the sizes of all the potatoes are similar)
• 2 large carrots, sliced (about 1 cup)
• the juice and zest of 2 lemons, divided
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed in a garlic press, or very finely minced
• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sumac (can omit if you cannot find this spice)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 lbs lamb shoulder (I used lamb shoulder chops)
• 2 medium onions, quartered

Kitchen Tools Used:

• cutting board
• knife
• slow cooker
• zester
• lemon squeezer
• garlic press
• dressing shaker
• basting brush
• sauté pan

Some notes. Ground sumac is a ground dried berry that is common in the Mediterranean and Middle East. It has a nice tartness to it, and really enhances the flavor of lamb. It can usually be found in spice shops, but if you can’t find it, no worries. The lemon zest will work to deliver that same flavor. If you’re using lamb shoulder, cut it into large portions before using.

To make, add your potatoes and carrots to the bottom of your slow cooker.

Add the juice and zest of 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, pressed or minced garlic cloves, dried rosemary, sumac, salt, and pepper to a jar. Screw on the lid and shake well to combine.

Drizzle the mixture over your lamb and brush to coat every piece.

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat, and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add some of the lamb, and brown on one side, about 5 minutes.

Add the lamb pieces to your slow cooker, browned side up. Repeat with the remaining lamb.

Drizzle the remaining lemon juice and sprinkle the remaining lemon zest over the ingredients in the slow cooker. Add in the quartered onions around the lamb.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Serve the lamb over the potatoes and carrots with a drizzle of the cooking juices.

The lamb just melts in your mouth after slow cooking for hours. The potatoes come out wonderfully tender, infused with the flavors of the spices and lamb.

This meal is pretty simple but it felt like a special occasion when we were eating it!

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