Sumptuous Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks

When the weather changes – Summer or Winter – and there’s a chill in the air, this Sumptuous Slow Roasted Lamb Shank recipe is just what you need. The real magic starts when the vegetables breakdown and caramelise to form a rich, luscious sauce that’s perfect for serving with a creamy, parmesan mash and then finished off with a robust gremolata of fresh herbs and garlic.

Lamb Shank is a secondary meat; so slow cooking is the best way to cook lamb that is fall-off-the-bone tender and succulent. You cannot go wrong cooking it this way.

The beauty of this recipe is that you can use either white wine or red wine for the sauce. The preference is yours. I prefer to use white wine as I find red wine can overpower the overall flavour of the dish.

Ingredients

• Lamb Shanks
• Carrots
• Celery
• Leeks
• Red Onion
• Garlic
• White Wine
• Chicken Stock
• Tinned Crushed Tomato
• Parsley
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Lemon Zest
  

Cheat Sheet – notes for a fool proof succulent lamb dish

• Use a deep skillet dish or Dutch oven that can be moved from the oven to the stove.
• Brown the shanks in batches first – 2 at a time – to keep the heat high. Not only does this seal in the juices of the meat, but it also releases a fragrant fattiness to the butter ready for sweating the vegetables.
• Don’t be tempted to cheat on the dicing of the vegetables. This is the most time consuming part of the recipe, the finer they are, the better they reduce and you’ll be rewarded with a luscious thick sauce for serving.

• I prefer to use chicken stock as beef stock is too strong for the lamb.
• When you add the wine to the sweated vegetables, make sure to deglaze the wine so it reduces and intensifies the flavour before adding the remaining ingredients.
• Normally I will add a tablespoon of sugar to any dish that includes a tin of tomato. With this recipe however, you don’t need to add any sugar because the leeks do this for you. They add a delicious, natural sweetness when cooked.
• Once all the ingredients are added, bring the pot to the boil before placing in the oven for slow cooking.

• Gremolata is the secret ingredient that turns this dish into a restaurant quality meal. It’s easy to make. At a minimum, you only need parsley, lemon zest and garlic for a good gremolata, but I like to add mint, thyme and rosemary to it too.

• I use the same basic recipe for Osso Bucco by replacing the Lamb Shank with Veal Shins.
• This recipe can also be the base for a good Ragout. Simply, remove the bone from the meat, shred it coarsely, mix it in well with sauce and serve with a flat pasta or mash.

Print Recipe

Sumptuous Slow Roasted Lamb Shanks

Dinner, Lunch, Entertaining – Continental, Fusion

By Mrs Robinson – Serves: 4

Prep Time: 30 minutes – Cooking Time: 3-4 hours – Total Time: 3.5 - 4.5 hours

This Sumptuous Slow Roasted Lamb Shank recipe is simply delicious. The real magic starts when the vegetables breakdown and caramelise to form a rich, luscious sauce that's perfect for serving with a creamy, parmesan mash and sprinkles of gremolata.

Ingredients

• Sumptuous Lamb Shank Ingredients
• 4 Lamb Shanks
• 3 Carrots Diced
• 1/4 of a Celery Diced
• 1 Large Leek Diced
• 1 Large Red Onion Diced
• 4 Large cloves of Garlic Diced finely
• 1 Cup White Wine
• 1 Litre Chicken Stock, plus a cup extra for topping up
• 1 Can of Crushed Tomato
• 1/2 Bunch Fresh Parsley chopped coarsely
• 2 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary chopped coarsely
• 1/2 Bunch Fresh Thyme leaves
• Salt & Cracked Pepper for Seasoning
• 4 Tbs Olive oil and a Knob of Butter for browning
• Gremolata Ingredients
• Lemon Zest from 3 Large Lemons
• 1/2 Bunch Fresh Parsley
• 2 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
• 1/2 Bunch Fresh Thyme leaves
• 4 Sprigs of Fresh Mint leaves
• 4 Large cloves of Garlic Diced finely
• Salt & Cracked Pepper for Seasoning

Instructions

Lamb Preparation

1

Put the oven on fan force and preheat to 180°C

2

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the knob of butter on a high heat in the skillet or Dutch oven

3

Sear and brown the lamb shanks. When completely browned all over, remove from the skillet and set aside

4

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the same pot and heat through

5

Add the diced red onion, carrot, celery and leeks to the pot and cook until the onions are sweated and translucent

6

Add add the diced garlic and stir through for a few minutes until the garlic fragrance is released

7

Add the white wine and let it deglaze or reduce in the pot

8

Add the chicken stock and tinned tomato stirring well to combine

9

Return the lamb shanks to the pot making sure that they are mostly covered by the liquid

10

Sprinkle over the chopped fresh herbs

11

Cover with a lid and bring to a boil

12

When boiling, remove from the stove and place in the oven

13

Cook on low for 3 hours checking intermittently to make sure it does not dry out. If needed, top up the liquid levels with the extra stock and cook a little more

14

The meat is ready when it can be pulled apart gently using 2 forks, but is still holds to the bone.

Gremolata

15

On a chopping board (or Mezzaluna) combine all the ingredients - Lemon Zest, Parsley, Rosemary, Thyme, Mint and garlic - and chop finely until well mixed

16

Season with salt & cracked pepper

17

Place in a bowl ready for sprinkling

Serve with

18

Creamy Parmesan Mash

Notes

What ever you do, don't try cook this dish in 2 hours. This is a real make ahead meal and the time is required to achieve the right fall of the bone tenderness. If you are under time pressure, it's a great make ahead meal. I use the same basic recipe for Osso Bucco.