Lamb. Norwegian Lamb. Norwegian Lamb in the slow cooker. Is it Easter yet? Not quite but darn it if this lamb dish isn’t the bees knees! It is so simple, easy and delicious you might want to make it tomorrow for “practice” before Easter arrives. No joke – I could eat this every week I loved it so much. And Øyvind loved it too which is saying alot (a whole lot). I told you guys last year that most of the lamb available in Norway during Easter time is actually frozen import meat from abroad or frozen leftovers from last year’s Norwegian crop.
Lamb season in Norway is actually the in the autumn, because it takes the baby lamb a longer period of time to get big enough to slaughter, due to how long it takes enough grass to grow to feed them. We eat lamb in Norway during Easter due to tradition which has been in place since biblical times, but more traditional in Norway for Easter dining is rakfisk, salted and fermented trout.
For this recipe, I’ve opted for lamb chops instead of leg of lamb because I simply did not feel like whipping out my saw to cut down the lower hind leg of the lamb, nor did I feel like making a specialty trip to the butcher to ask them to do it for me. Instead, I bought the frozen lamb chops that my local supermarket carried, defrosted them overnight, then added them to my slow cooker with the seasonings on top. Also, while one could make this in the oven, making lamb chops in the slow cooker just seemed like the right thing to do, because after all,the slow cooker was built for slow cooking, which is great for tougher cuts of meat.
The slow cooker is also great because who really wants their house to smell like lamb for days on end? Lamb meat isn’t the faintest of cooking smells, and cooking it in the slow cooker means our kitchen (and entire house by default) doesn’t have to smell like lamb for the next week (actually only 3 days..but that clingy old lamb smell gets old super fast, making 3 days seem like a week). It’s all no fuss no muss because all of the ingredients can be prepared the night before, then dumped into the slow cooker just before you leave the house for work or your children’s soccer match. I paired these savory bad boys with crispy lemon potatoes and maple glazed carrots (recipes coming soon!), which helped balance out the richness of the lamb.
If you live in Norway, you can read more here about where to buy slow cookers in Norway.
- 1 large onion, cut and separated into rings
- 1.5 kgs. (about 3.4 lbs.) lamb chops, extra fat trimmed off
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (balsamic is a good substitute)
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
- Place the onion rings in the bottom of the slow cooker, covering it completely.
- Add the lamb chops on top of the onions, then add in the garlic, red wine vinegar, rosemary, salt and pepper.
- Turn the slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours, and cook until very tender, and the meat is falling off the bone.
More delicious slow cooker lamb recipes
Paleo Slow Cooker Lamb Roast with Root Veggies
Lamb with Olives and Potatoes
Crockpot Leg of Lamb
Mint Glazed Leg of Lamb
More lamb recipes from thanksforthefood.com
Grilled Leg of Lamb
Lamb Burgers
More slow cooker recipes on thanksforthefood.com
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Can i put this on for more than 6 hrs? leave 7am and dinner 7pm?
I haven’t tried that yet but if you do let us know what your results are 🙂
I tried this yesterday after figuring out I could make my own red wine vinegar and then I added the garlic and rosemary to it overnight before starting the slow cooker in the morning. It was an easy recipe but goodness was it ever delicious! Thanks for sharing it!
You’re welcome! Glad you gave them a go and that they turned out well for you!
I am new to cooking lamb. I have some “lamb round bone chops” that are in danger of getting freezer burn. I having trouble finding a recipe that requires this cut of meat. Will this recipe work?
I’d try it. The slow cooker has a way of making lamb very tender and also saves you from a house full of that “old lamb smell”!
In my crock pot now! Can’t wait. Thank you!
I can’t wait to try this, my crockpot has a ‘high’ and ‘low’ setting, which do you recommend for this?
erm….. can I stack it on top of each other? the chops i mean… cuz my slow cooker is small. Interesting and simple recipe by the way…
I like all of my chops to touch the bottom of the ceramic insert, but I have also had success with adding a second layer on top. How many liters is your slow cooker?
When and how can I add potatoes and carrots? (like the photo) 🙂
Hi Whitney. This recipe looks great and I’ve some lamb chops in the freezer that I’d like to make. Admittedly, I’ve always been nervous to cook them because they’re quite thick.
Do you think I could use your recipe and they’ll turn out well? Also, I know you mentioned to prepare as instructed, but could I add in some carrots and potatoes? Love the idea of the whole meal being done right in the crock pot…thank you! 🙂
Thanks a lot! I like to “dump” everything in and forget about fussing around with messing up other dishes, so go ahead and add them.
How many does this serve?
Did you add carrots into tthe slow cooker also?
Yes, go ahead an add them 🙂
I made this tonight, my husband and I just finished eating this delicious meal. Texture and taste is perfect! Yes, definitely no water needed, it creates its own broth. Great recipe. Thank you!
Glad you liked it!
No need to brown first?
Nope – you don’t need to but you can if you want. I just skip that extra step because I’m lazy and they come out delicious any way 🙂
Do I need to add water?
No need to add water – just prepare as instructed. 🙂
Trying this tonight!!