Braised Lamb Shanks

Braised Lamb Shanks

Lamb is not in my regular rotation of proteins, but this dish was a rich and decadent treat. You could easily do this one in a rush, maybe even throw it in a crock pot. But, I took my time with it, and was well rewarded. We served it up with some mashed cauliflower and a green salad, I've seen similar recipes served up with mashed potatoes or polenta. There was a lot of braising liquid leftover that would make a tasty gravy, if you would like!

Ingredients:

3 lamb shanks

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp fresh black pepper, ground

1/2 tsp oregano

1/3 cup cooking oil

1 clove crushed garlic

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 to 1 cup any or all of: small white onions, cut up carrots, string beans, shelled beans, shelled peas, mushrooms

1 cup red wine or water

1 cup beef broth

7 peppercorns, bruised and 2 whole cloves. Pinch of rosemary

Directions:

Mix flour, salt, pepper, oregano, and shake cut-up lamb shanks in this mixture in a paper bag.

Heat shortening or oil in skillet and brown meat on all sides. Transfer meat to a heavy casserole, put to bake covered at 350.

Add garlic and chopped onion to skillet, brown well, add to shanks.

In remaining drippings (or use more if needed), lightly brown; chopped celery, boiling onions, carrots, and other vegetables. Add, with peppercorns and cloves, to lamb.

Lamb should bake about 1 hour before adding vegetables, and about minutes to 1 hour after wards; check for tenderness.

Notes:

Be careful to dust one shank at a time with the flour mixture, I added all three to one bag and found myself with a bit of a mess on my hands ;)

I opted to go with onions, carrots, green beans, carrots, celery, and some crimini mushrooms. Yummy! You'll want to chop them into larger pieces, to stand up to the braising. Don't forget to add the cloves, they added warmth and depth.

Next time I will try to do this recipe in a crock pot, it may even be a viable freezer meal with smaller chunks of lamb!

Braised Lamb Shank Ingredients