There is now such a chill in the air I want to be eating warming winter foods each night. High on my list of winter warmers to cook are roasts, slow cooker dishes, lamb shanks and curries. Today I am sharing I gorgeous Donna Hay Balsamic Roast Lamb recipe.  This could just as easily be Balsamic Lamb Shanks if you would prefer.  I needed to feed six people so the lamb leg was my best choice.

Initially I passed over this dish in her recipe book because the picture wasn’t that appealing.  The roast looked burned and not moist.  I have since discovered that the dark colour is the balsamic vinegar and the meat is cooked to that succulent, falling off the bone stage.

It seems I am not the only one thinking of a warming lamb roast, at the butchers today there was another lady getting cooking tips for her lamb roast from the butcher. I promised to post my adopted Donna Hay recipe immediately. This has become one of my favourite ways to do a roast and it can be made in the slow cooker or a conventional oven. I really hope you give it a go too.

Ingredients:

1- 2 kg leg lamb on the bone

250ml balsamic vinegar

6 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 bulb garlic

500 ml beef stock

2 Tbs brown sugar

Slow Cooker Method:

Place all the ingredients in a slow cooker on high for 3 hours. Turn the meat and cook for a further 2 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone.

 Remove the meat from the slow cooker and place on a serving platter covered in foil to rest.

Pour the remaining sauce over a bowl of ice to filter some of the fat off the sauce.  Place the sauce back in a saucepan on the heat and allow it to boil until it has reduced to half the volume. Serve with potatoes and greens.

Oven Method:

Preheat the oven to 140 degrees.  Choose a dish which has a tight fitting lid that is oven proof. Place all the ingredients into the pot cover and cook for three hours. Turn the meat and cook for a further 2 hours.

Remove the lid and increase the heat to 180 degrees. Cook the meat for a further 30 minutes to brown. Take the meat from dish and place on a serving platter covered in foil to rest.

Pour the sauce over a bowl of ice to filter some of the fat off the sauce.  Place the sauce back in a saucepan on the heat and allow it to boil until it has reduced to half the volume. Serve with potatoes and greens.

I hope you enjoy this recipe.  Tell me are you a picture person like me, will a great image inspire you to cook a dish, will a bad image put you off a dish? 

Thank you to Donna Hay, this is a truly gorgeous dish, how could I have doubted you?