Having been without a slow cooker for many months, I had a hankering to cook up the grass fed lamb cubes that had been sitting in my freezer for some time. You see, after learning that so many crock pots are testing positive for lead (thank you Lead Safe America), I got rid of mine and started saving for an Instant Pot* as it is one of the only slow cookers on the market that cooks the food in a stainless steel pot AND has 6 other functions, including that of a pressure cooker and yogurt maker. And, it really can cook foods in what seems like an instant, compared to the eight hours some dishes normally take.

After getting the Instant Pot in the mail (I scored the black Friday sale on Amazon like many of you), it sat unopened for over a month because I felt intimidated to use it. Then, two days ago, my craving for lamb stew took over and I got over the intimidation and went for it. I am glad that I did. *Raising Natural Kids serves as an affiliate for Amazon, and links any products we use in our own homes to Amazon when applicable. Any monies earned help us to run and maintain this blog. This is NOT a paid review, but me (Dawn) sharing my own experience and recipe with you because I love it!

Here’s what came about when I opened the pot and added the lamb (and a few other goodies, of course).

The Recipe

prep time: 20 minutes

cook time (in an Instant Pot): 65 minutes

Ingredients

2 medium onions, diced

1 small bag of mini purple potatoes cut small (more nutritious than white ones)

1 bag of tricolored baby carrots cut small

5 cloves of garlic chopped

3 pounds of grass-fed lamb cubes

1 sprig of rosemary

1 sprig of thyme

1 bay leaf

2 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt (I use light grey celtic sea salt in any stews, soups and roasts as I think it adds a better flavor)

4 to 5 cups of vegetable broth

2 tablespoons of both butter and a grain flour (optional to make thicker if you so choose)

Directions:

Add everything but the broth into the pot and mix so that ingredients are evenly distributed. Next, add the broth until it barely covers the veggies and meat. The more broth, the more liquidly it will be. Put the cover on the pot and set it on the Meat/Stew setting. The pot will then take 30 minutes to heat up on its own and then stay at a steady temperature for the next 35 minutes until done. When finished cooking turn off the pot and make sure to release the pressure by letting steam out before removing the lid. Once the lid is off, you may want to make a quick rue with the butter and flour to add to the stew if you would like to thicken the broth.

To make a rue, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and then whisk in 2 tablespoons of rice or oat flour (can be any type of grain flour). Stir for about five minutes and then add it to the stew.  After mixing in the rue, let the stew sit for another ten minutes before serving.

 

P.S. Just a few days ago they came out with the next version of Instant Pot – one with both egg and cake settings (but it looks like it lost other settings, like the yogurt one)!