- 4 lamb shanks, around 1 lb / 500g each
- 2 tsp salt, separated
- Pepper
- 2 - 3 tbsp olive oil, separated
- 1 cup onion, finely diced (brown, yellow or white)
- 1 cup carrot, finely diced (optional)
- 1 cup celery, finely diced (optional)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2½ cups red wine, full bodied
- 28 oz / 800g can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups chicken stock (or water)
- 5 sprigs of thyme (preferably tied together), or 2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 dried bay leaves or 4 fresh
- Sauce
- ½ to 1½ cups hot water
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.
- Pat the lamb shanks dry and sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt and black pepper.
- Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a heavy based pot (dutch oven is ideal) over high heat.
- Sear the lamb shanks in 2 batches until brown all over, about 5 minutes.
- Remove lamb onto a plate and drain excess fat (if any) from the pot.
- Turn the heat down to medium low. Heat remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil in the same pot. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Sauté for 10 minutes until the onion is translucent.
- Add the red wine and turn up the heat to medium high. Bring it to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan to mix all the brown bits into the wine. Simmer for 3 minutes to evaporate the alcohol a bit
- Add the remaining ingredients (including remaining 1 tsp salt and pepper) and stir to combine.
- Place the lamb shanks into the pot, squeezing them in to fit so they are mostly submerged.
- Bring back up to simmer, cover, then transfer to the oven for 2 hours.
- Turn the lamb shanks, cover, then return to the oven for another 30 minutes (so 2½ hours in total). The lamb should be very tender, the exposed surface above the liquid should be browned and the sauce should be reduced down to about ¼ of the original amount.
- Carefully transfer the lamb to a plate and pick out the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
- Skim excess fat off surface of sauce. Use a stick blender to puree the sauce to make it smooth and thick, using hot water to adjust the thickness and intensity of the sauce.Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the lamb shanks on mashed potato or cauliflower puree with plenty of sauce!
Source:Recipe Tin Eats
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