The casserole Nan made, and she was right all along

Somewhere in most Australian families there's a casserole dish with fifty years of dinners in it, and more often than not the dinner inside was this one. Forequarter chops, onion, carrot and stock, a squirt of tomato sauce and a splash of Worcestershire, then the oven does the rest. No tricks, no watching the pot. Two hours later the meat slips off the bone into a gravy that tastes like it took far more effort than it did. This is the forequarter chop's home ground — and the easiest good dinner in your lamb share.

2 hrs 30 mins 4 servings Prep 15 minsCook 2 hrs 15 minsMain CourseAustralian

Ingredients

  • 4 Your Farmer grass-fed lamb forequarter chops
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 brown onions, thickly sliced
  • 3 carrots, cut into chunky rounds
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 500ml beef stock
  • 2 tbsp tomato sauce
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • Salt and pepper to season

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 160C fan-forced. Season the flour well with salt and pepper, then toss the chops through it and shake off the excess.

4 forequarter chops2 tbsp plain flour

Heat the oil in a heavy casserole dish over medium-high heat and brown the chops for about 3 minutes each side; set them aside.

2 tbsp olive oil

In the same dish, cook the onions and carrots for 5 minutes until the onion softens, then add the garlic for 1 minute more.

2 onions3 carrots2 cloves garlic

Stir in the stock, tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce, scraping the browned bits off the bottom, then nestle the chops back in so they sit under the liquid.

500ml beef stock2 tbsp tomato sauce1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Cover and bake for 2 hours, until the meat pulls away from the bone with a fork. No peeking required.

Skim any fat from the surface, season the gravy to taste, and serve over mashed potato or with plenty of crusty bread.

Appears in

In every lamb share — Forequarter Chops (4 pack)

Your Farmer CSA grass-fed lamb share — Pack B selection of pasture-raised lamb cuts, vacuum-sealed, NSW & ACT delivery
CSA Pastured Lamb Share
From $183.33

Why Forequarter Chops Belong in a Casserole

The forequarter chop comes off the shoulder end of the lamb — the muscles that did the walking. Working muscles carry more fat, more connective tissue and more flavour than the dainty cuts further back, and that's the whole trade. Rush a forequarter chop and it fights you; give it two slow, wet hours and all that connective tissue melts into gelatine, the fat bastes the meat from within, and you get a depth of flavour a loin chop simply can't offer. Your Farmer® forequarter chops are grass-fed and come four to the pack in every lamb share — look for rosy meat and creamy white fat, which is exactly what pasture puts there. If one pack isn't going to be enough, you can add an extra pack of forequarter chops to any delivery.

Swaps and Variations

This casserole is forgiving by design. Celery, swede or parsnip can join the carrots — whatever the crisper offers. A small handful of pearl barley thrown in with an extra 250ml of stock turns it into something closer to a meal-in-a-pot. For a richer, redder version, swap the tomato sauce for half a tin of crushed tomatoes. Chump chops take to this treatment nearly as well if that's what's in the freezer. And if the slow-and-low approach wins you over, our original slow-food beef stew is the same idea built on the beef share.

Storage and Leftovers

Like most braises, this one is better on day two — the gravy settles and deepens overnight. It keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days and freezes well for up to 3 months; reheat it gently on the stove with a splash of water. The leftover move worth knowing: strip the meat from the bones, stir it back through the gravy and vegetables, and you've got a ready-made pie filling that only needs a sheet of puff pastry and 25 minutes in a hot oven.

Forequarter chops arrive in every box of our pasture-raised lamb share — this is the recipe that makes sure they never sit long in the freezer.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make this in the slow cooker?

Yes. Brown the chops and soften the vegetables in a frying pan first, then transfer everything to the slow cooker with the stock reduced to 375ml. Cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours.

Do I really need to brown the chops first?

It still works if you skip it, but the browning builds most of the gravy's flavour and the flour coating thickens it. Ten minutes at the start pays for itself.

How do I know when it's done?

The meat should pull away from the bone easily with a fork. If it still resists, it just needs more time — give it another 20 to 30 minutes and check again.

Should I take the bones out before serving?

Leave them in while it cooks — they add body to the gravy. You can lift the bones out just before serving; by then they'll come away with no effort.

Can I use loin chops instead?

You can, but it's a waste of a quick-cooking chop. Loin chops are at their best seared fast and served pink; the casserole treatment suits forequarter and chump chops.

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