CORE Slow Cooker Lemon Roast Chicken

A lovely moist roast chicken with subtle lemon flavour. It will fall off the bone.

Serves: 4+ (I used a 1.6 kg chicken and it served 6)

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 2 large lemons (or 4 small)
• a chicken (or chickens) of size to suit your family

Method:

Cut the bumps of the end of the lemons. Cut 1 or 2 thin slices off each end. This will leave you with lemon chunks about 4 cm thick. Cut these in half so you have 2 lemon rings each about 2 cm thick. Put 2 or 3 lumps in the bottom of the slow cooker bowl - we're using these as "legs" to prop up the chicken to dry roast it.
Insert a few of the lemon slices into the carcass, making sure you have 4 slices left.
The chicken will cook better if you close the legs/carcass "hole". You can do this by tying the legs together, or use the "Chicken Shop Crossed Legs" method - stretch one leg away from the body, with sharp knife cut a 1 cm slit in the loose skin, pop opposite "ankle" through, then the other.
Put chicken on props, lay a slice of lemon on each breast, one on the tummy, and half slice each on the leg/thigh.
Put chicken in slow cooker bowl.
Optional - If you have time, put lid on and fridge at least overnight. Take out of fridge an hour or 2 before putting onto heat.
Add a thin layer of boiling water to bottom of slow cooker bowl, about 1/3 -1/2 cup.
Cook on low heat for about 8 or 9 hours or high for about 4.
Serve.

Optional - if your other family members are skin eaters, you may wish to brown off in oven/grill as the chicken is pale.

CORE Roast Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary

This recipe was given to me by a friend almost 20 years ago who was an apprentice butcher.

Serves: 4-6 depending on size of roast

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1.5kg leg of lamb (or whatever size to suit your family)
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• Rosemary, fresh or dried

Method:

With a sharp thin knife, pierce the lamb about 10 times.
Using a skewer, push a slice of garlic into each slit with a leaf or 2 of rosemary (if using dried rosemary, spray the garliced lamb with oil and rub rosemary in)
Cook at 180*C
How long?
For every 500g of roast, 20-25 mins for rare, 25-30 mins for medium, or 30-35 mins for well done
ie a 1.5 kg roast 1 - 1/4 hours for rare, 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 for medium or 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 for well done

In the last 45 - 60 minutes, add vegies to pan or a seperate pan.
My Roast Vegetables with Sea Salt and Rosemary is lovely with this recipe