Slow Cooked Lamb with Creamy Polenta

This slow-cooked lamb is cooked to fork-tender in a tomato and caramelized onion-based gravy with spices like cumin, paprika, and cinnamon. Today, I served it over a bed of creamy Parmesan polenta, and yet, mashed potato, steamed rice would also be perfect.

Table of Content

• About this lamb
• Ingredients and substitutes
• Step by step instructions
• Frequently asked questions
• You may also like
• Printable Recipe

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If you ask my kids what they want to eat, they will almost always choose a slow-cooked dish. "Mama, make that meat with the couscous", or "mama, make that soft meat with the potato you made last time", or "mama, make that meat with the creamy mashed corn." Well, they are still small, so they have no clue what's the name of the dish they are eating. They expect mama to remember it for them. Those of you who are moms probably recognize this behavior and know precisely how this drill goes.

Do you love lamb? We love beef and lamb very much. Lamb recipes are by far the most favorite in our home. My Rhea gives me heartache. Because though she eats, she eats so little that she is always underweight. The one thing she does love is my beef or lamb recipes. So, recently, we've been having a few more meat recipes cooked at home. She loves burgers, lamb biryani, lamb curry, beef mince, beef goulash.

About this lamb

Well, meat with creamy mashed corn means this lamb with creamy polenta. Whether you make it in the slow cooker or on the stovetop, this meat cooks fork tender and melts in the mouth. The list of ingredients sounds like a lot, but they are not that difficult to source. If you often cook then you probably already have it in your pantry.

Do you see that rich color? That comes not just from the tomatoes, but with the combination of caramelized onions and tomatoes. It also adds a unique sweetness to the lamb along with the flavor of all the other exotic spices we have to hear. The secret to making this dish even more flavorful. Do you know what happens to onions when you cook them until golden? They become brown, and sweet too. The sweetness enhances the meat, and the brown deepens the color of the red sauce, which creates magic when it comes to flavor.

What lamb is best for slow-cooking?

Usually, we use cuts that come from muscles that work hard in the animal such as lamb shoulder, leg of lamb, lamb shank. These cuts benefit from the long and slow cooking and also absorb lots of flavor in that time. As you can see most of the lamb recipes, I shared with you are slow-cooked, not necessarily in the slow cooker and I usually use lamb shoulder or leg of lamb even when I cut it to bite-size pieces like this one.

Ingredients and substitutes

• Lamb - As I said above, I usually prefer to use a shoulder or leg for my slow cooking, but you also get low cuts that are much cheaper. If you ask your butcher to recommend what's the best he has with him for the day, I'm sure he will be happy to suggest.
• Polenta - These are very readily available in most supermarkets nowadays. They come in yellow-colored bags and are also called yellow corn meal. Please note that cornflour and cornmeal are not the same. Cornmeal is coarse and thicker than semolina.
• Red onions - Are sweeter than the regular brown or white so do look for a milder variety. Plus we cook them down for 10 minutes until almost caramelized. This adds sweetness and intense flavor to this dish.
• Dried herbs - I prefer to use the dried herbs in these recipes, so I don't have to fish out too many things later. Since it's cooked long and slow, the dried herbs do get enough time to work their magic. Of course, you are welcome to use fresh anytime.
• Canned Tomatoes - I do prefer the canned tomatoes. They are thicker in consistency and have better color, so the result is a thicker and prettier sauce. Having said that, of course, if you prefer fresh that would work too. A good 2 cups of chopped tomatoes would be a good substitute. The result will differ in texture and taste, but still delicious.

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Step by step instructions

I have given you both the stovetop and slow cooker or crockpot method, so you use whichever works in your favor. For years, I've made this on the stovetop before I bought my slow cooker. The slow cooker works great when you don't have time and want a secure method.

Sear and saute

• Using a sturdy cutting board and chefs knife cut lamb into bitesize pieces not too small.
• Season with Salt and pepper. Coat well in flour and dust off excess. Set aside
• Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottom saute pan and brown the meat on all sides; 3 to 5 minutes. Do not crowd the pan. If necessary do this is batches. Remove and keep warm
• To the same pan, add remaining oil and saute the onions, for two minutes until caramelized - 10 minutes - Keep the hear on medium-low to prevent the onions from burning.
• Next, add the ginger and garlic - saute for a minute more.
• Then, add all the dry herbs, dry spices,  bay leaves, cinnamon, and parsley - stir well.

Stovetop

• Return the meat back to the pan. Saute for two minutes so the meat is all coated with the spics.
• Add the can of crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper
• Let it come to a boil - add water and lemon juice - stir well and let come to a boil again.
• Lower the heat to an absolute simmer.
• Cover and cook on low heat for 2 hours stirring occasionally to prevent sticking at the bottom.
• Always ensure you have enough water so the meat has enough moisture to cook. If necessary add ¼ to ½ cup more.
  Tip - This has a thick sauce so don't add too much water either.
• When done the meat should be fork tender about 2 to 2 ½ hours.
• Remove from heat.

Slow-cooker / Crockpot

• Add the seared meat in the bottom of the slow-cooker or crockpot
• Top with the sauteed onions and herb mixture
• Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, lemon juice, and water.
• Season with salt and pepper. Give it all a good stir to ensure everything is well combined.
• Cover the slow cooker or crockpot and let cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours.
• When done the meat should be fork-tender with gravy.
• Tip - if you don't want too much gravy - you can remove the meat aside, pour the gravy in a saucepan and cook until it is reduced to half. Then return the meat back to the pan.

Creamy polenta

• In a deep saute pan bring the water with salt and pepper to a boil.
• Lower the heat to medium so it's not a rolling boil
• Use a wooden spoon, stir the water creating a gentle swirl.
• Keep stirring and adding the polenta in a gentle stream (this will avoid lumps)
• Once all the polenta is in - lower the heat to an absolute simmer
• Cover and let cook for 45 minutes stirring well every 10 minutes.
• When cooked it will be thick and creamy
• Add the butter and Parmesan - stir it in well.
• Cover and let sit for 10 minutes before you serve.
• Polenta thickens further after cooking so don't worry if it appears looser than as shown in the images below.

Frequently asked questions

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Printable Recipe