Andy the Gasman's Stew | Lamb Recipes | Jamie Oliver Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Which cut of lamb is best for casserole? ›

The best cuts for stewing are shoulder, leg or neck fillet – it needs to quite a hard-working muscle with some fat marbling through it that will break down during the slow cooking to create tender meat. It's also best with economical cuts that are boneless – keep saddle, rack and lamb chops for roasting.

Shoulder or leg of lamb: both of these cuts are perfect in a stew or casserole when diced. Meat from the shoulder needs to be trimmed of excess fat first; while meat from the leg gives neater, leaner pieces of meat than the shoulder. Both are meltingly tender with a fantastic flavour.

Preheat a griddle pan to high, then cook the lamb for 3 minutes on each side, or until cooked to medium. Serve the chops in a pile on one end of a chopping board and arrange the bowl of houmous, coleslaw and spicy nuts nicely around them, then sprinkle with the coriander leaves.

As one of the most flavorful parts of the lamb when cooked right, lamb ribs are a top choice for many people. They are tender, juicy, and delicious when roasted. Lamb ribs are best cooked with a combination of low heat for a few hours and high heat for about thirty minutes.

The lamb in the slow-cooker was juicier than that from the oven, but lacked the oven lamb's exterior crispy bits (we love crispy bits). The solution was to take the vegetables and lamb from the slow cooker and run them under the broiler to crisp things up a bit. We'd eat either version again in a heartbeat.

Lamb shank is a super-simple, cheaper cut that goes a long way. Taken from the lower part of the back legs, there is a lot of collagen in the shank, which, when cooked slowly, gives the meat a lovely soft, melting texture, making this another cut that's perfect for stews and slow-cooking.

If we look at fatty acids, like CLA and omega-3's, lamb comes out victorious and can be seen as marginally healthier. If we look at vitamins, like B12 and zinc, beef comes out victorious. The bottom line is both are excellent and both should be eaten with abundance!

And when you have a gorgeous cut, like a rack of lamb, you can cook it the good ol' Gordon Ramsay way—which is to say, lightly pan-sear it first, then baste it with an herby, garlicky butter, and finally finish it off in the oven until it's still pink and juicy in the middle. It comes out perfectly every time.

The big, bold Lamb flavor goes well with spices like coriander seeds, cumin, curry powder, harissa paste, garlic, rosemary, oregano, thyme, black pepper, chilly flakes, and mint. Spices compliment Lamb, but it also holds its flavor with just salt and pepper.

When you're serving lamb for dinner, classic sides like mashed potatoes or baked potatoes are family faves. If you have time, try fancier sides like Dauphinoise potatoes or garlic confit mashed potatoes to level up your meal. Creamy, cheesy, and crowd pleasing dauphinoise potatoes are practically impossible to dislike.

What is the best cut of lamb to cook? ›

Lamb Rack is the most expensive cut (and the most photogenic). Lamb cuts like Lamb Shank, Lamb Neck, and Lamb Shoulder are ideal for slow cooking / braising. The best Lamb Cut award for us goes to Lamb Loin Chops ~ a perfect balance of price to an amazing eating experience.

Cuts of lamb that are popular for slow cooking include the shoulder, leg, forequarter, shanks, neck chops, lamb ribs, and some sausages. These cuts are usually tougher because they have lots of connective tissue and fats, but this makes them perfect for slow and low methods of cooking.

Lamb Loin (also Lamb Saddle)

The center of the animal, this contains the most tender cuts of lamb meat and is usually presented cut into loin chops or whole as a loin roast. Full of tender meat. Cook: roast, grill, pan fry, braise.