Braised Lamb Shanks

[BertaBurtonLake]

Braised Lamb Shanks

Serves 6 as Main Dish.

We raise our own sheep, so lamb is a staple meat in our home. I first made this dish on a cold snowy day: to me, the best times for cooking. The result of this dish is more a hearty, very thick stew, suitable for putting over rice, mashed potatoes, noodles, or any other substantial starch. The smells are divine; almost edible!

I hope you will try it and enjoy it as much as our family does

• 3 lb lamb shanks (my butcher cuts them 2-3" thick, at my request)
  
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
  
• 3 cloves peeled and smashed garlic
  
• 2 c dry red wine (I use whatever is open)
  
• 3 c water or stock, hot
  
• 1/2 can tomato paste
  
• several whole sprigs of thyme, tied together
  
• pepper, to taste
  
• kosher salt
  
• olive oil
  

Preheat oven to 325F. Heat olive oil on medium high almost to the smoke point in a large skillet. Salt shanks liberally on both sides with kosher salt. Sear shanks 4 at a time until nicely browned, about 4 minutes per side. Remove shanks to a large dutch oven with a tight fitting lid.

Reduce temperature under skillet to medium and deglaze pan with the red wine. Add the water or stock and add the onions and garlic and simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk in the tomato paste until well incorporated. Add the thyme sprigs and pepper. Pour this sauce over the shanks in the dutch oven. Cover and bake for 4 hours. Reduce heat to 250F and cook an additional 2 hours.

Remove meat from the dutch oven, picking over for bones and large fat pieces. Add picked over meat to the sauce in the dutch oven. With dutch oven on stovetop over medium to medium low heat, cook until thick. Adjust seasonings and serve.

Keywords: Main Dish, Intermediate, Lamb, Dinner

( RG2087 )