Top 8: The best ready-cooked lamb dishes for an easy Easter dinner
Lamb takes spicing beautifully. A lamb chop topped with buttery breadcrumbs flavoured with garam masala or Za’atar makes a seasonal treat exciting. Picture: iStock
Easter and lamb. A way to celebrate spring with a savoury, meaty treat. It’s a time to sit at the table, with roast potatoes, mixed roasted vegetables, and a decent gravy. For extra depth, if you don’t have wine, add a dessertspoon of balsamic vinegar to the gravy as it gently simmers.
But what if the trouble of cooking is too much this weekend? I thought I’d take a look at how we could enjoy ready-cooked lamb, so that when we come back from the walk, cycle, family gardening session, or Easter egg hunt, we don’t have to wait too long to tuck in.
When I went looking for prepared lamb dishes, I found less variety than I had expected. So, we compared brands of slow-cooked shanks, and I have given you some ideas for making them more interesting, including shredding the meat and adding it to a soup (with the bone) or to a stir-fry of vegetables. It really does save a lot of time (and expensive energy) to have the slow cooking out of the way. I also found two very good brands of shepherd’s pies.
Lamb takes spicing beautifully. A lamb chop topped with buttery breadcrumbs flavoured with garam masala or Za’atar and baked at 180C for 10 minutes makes a seasonal treat exciting.
Happy Easter!
Bunny Chow is an Indian-South African lamb dish traditionally served in a hollowed-out bread loaf. Here, it is instead served in a signature superb pastry. The lamb is deliciously, warmly flavoured in a sauce with deep spices, a perky hit of cayenne, paprika, and ginger, and just the right amount of chilli. Buy frozen or ready-to-eat. Top marks. In The English Market, Cork and South Main St, Bandon.
- Score: 10
A generous portion of Irish lamb is flavoured with garlic, rich chicken stock, tomato, and a typical Moroccan pairing of meat with fruit – sultanas, dates, and apricots. There are also flavoursome carrots, typically tagine-style chickpeas, along with potato and parsnip. Enough for two. In Barrys Centra Crosshaven, Smiths SuperValu Kinsale, Garden Goodness, Douglas Court and Cinnamon Cottage, Rochestown.
- Score: 10
Two lamb shanks come in a tasty red wine-based sauce, enriched with tomato purée and parsnip powder (new to me). Cook in the oven for 50 minutes with added potatoes and mixed vegetables. Or shred the meat and add to curry or Bolognese-style sauce to serve with pasta. Or add to creamed potatoes, and chutney, and fry for delicious meat cakes. Fair value and enough to feed two or three.
- Score: 8
A complete meal here could be enough for two. Basmati rice with a hint of saffron is firm and perfectly cooked. The marinated, tender lamb is quite generous and cooked with garlic, rich garam masala spices and other spices too many to mention, with yogurt, coconut cream providing creaminess. Sweetened dried cranberries and cumin seeds give it a chewy texture. Delicious. A top marker.
- Score: 9.5
This tagine has a rich tomato base with peppers, onion, garlic, coriander and chickpeas. The flavours are very mild without the expected warmth of some North African spices, but may suit those who are spice-shy and want a meaty dish to serve with rice, couscous, penne or creamed potatoes. Watch for the three-for-the-price-of-two deal. Located in Dosco Industrial Estate, South Douglas Road, Cork. Worth visiting for breakfast too.
- Score: 8
The red wine and rosemary gravy is enriched with tomato paste, garlic purée, and rosemary.
After tasting, I put all the leftovers in a saucepan with halved carrots, parsnips, and potatoes, added water to cover, and a splash of balsamic vinegar to make an easy, complete meal.
- Score: 8.5
This is a delicious shepherd’s pie, full of generous meat, topped with creamy mash which crisps up beautifully. A complete meal with 27% lamb. We compared this to Kinsale Bay Shepherd’s Pie (400g €5.99), with 18% lamb, which has a very good, natural flavour. Tasters were hard-pressed to choose their favourite of the two, and despite the €1 price difference, we ended up with equal ratings.
- Score: 9
I have a friend whose wife is in long-term care, and, as a non-cook, he often buys these meals. Not surprisingly, as there are plenty of decent slices of meat, with portions of tasty stuffing, shredded cabbage, and boiled carrots. This had a decent three potatoes, and gravy – enough for the heartiest of appetites. A complete meal for someone looking to replicate the Easter roast. We bought in Tower, Blarney.
- Score: 8.5
