Slow Cooker Lamb Stew with fennel and parsnips

Ok, so I just made what may go down at my house as the best lamb dish ever. I wish I could invite everyone over for dinner so I could make it for you. But alas, my kitchen is too small, so here's the recipe. I adapted a recipe from the new Saveur Classics cookbook. It goes something like this:

You'll need:

2 tbsp olive oil 

4 slices of good bacon, sliced into 1" pieces

2# lamb stew meat, cubed and trimmed

1/4 cup flour

Salt and pepper 

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fennel seed

1 bay leaf

1 cup red wine (use something good, it'll be worth it)

1 cup vegetable stock

2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1" pieces

1 fennel bulb, trimmed, and cut into 1" pieces

Do this:

In a cast iron skillet, warm the oil over medium high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon and place in slow cooker. 

In a bowl toss the the lamb with salt, pepper, and the flour, then shake off excess flour and brown the lamb in the skillet with the bacon grease until brown on all sides. Remove to join bacon in the slow cooker. 

Now add the onion, garlic, fennel seed, and bay leaf to the pan. Cook about 10 minutes until onions are soft, then add red wine and scrape up any lamby bits. Cook over medium heat until wine is reduced by half, then add to slow cooker with the stock. Stir to combine, cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Then add the parsnips and fennel, stir, and cook another 2 hours. Bliss!!!

I served mine with some left over pasta and cheese gratin (ala Art of Simple Food, Alice Waters), and some sautéed purple kale. Make this tomorrow folks...it's that good.