Cooking Lesson #444: Braised Lamb Shanks

…from the California Kitchen

How you doin’? I like lamb any way it’s cooked. Today, let’s talk lamb shanks. The shank is the cut of lamb taken from the lower section of the animal's legs. It can be from the front legs (foreshank) or the back legs (hind shank). The foreshank may include part of the shoulder, as well as part of the leg, while the hind shank will include only part of the rear leg.
 
Lamb shanks are a relatively inexpensive, tougher cut of meat. Because of this, lamb shanks need to be slowly-cooked—braised or roasted—to break down the tough meat and soften it into succulent tenderness. Thankfully, lamb shanks are one of the easiest meat choices at the market. When you braise it, you have about as close to a winning sure thing as possible. After a long, slow roast in an aromatic, deeply flavored broth, these lamb shanks will definitely garner rave reviews. This is a great entrée for your Easter table.
 
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Cool time: 10 minutes (while you’re prepping the sauce)
Yield: 6 servings
 
Ingredients 
5 to 6 pounds young lamb shanks
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrot
1-1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
1-1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
⅛ teaspoon chili flakes
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 450⁰ F.
2. Place the lamb shanks into a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil.
3. Season with salt, black pepper, dried rosemary and thyme. Toss lamb shanks to coat with oil and seasonings.
4. Roast the shanks in a preheated oven until lamb is browned; about 30 minutes.
5. Reduce the oven heat to 325⁰ F.
6. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
7. Stir in the onion, celery and carrots and cook in the hot butter until onion is browned, about 10 minutes.
8. Stir the flour into the vegetables until combined. Mix in garlic and cook and stir for 1 more minute.
9. Pour the red wine into the vegetable mixture; stir to combine and mix in chicken stock, water, balsamic vinegar and pepper flakes. Pour sauce over lamb shanks in the roasting pan.
10. Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil, sealing foil loosely so that the sauce can reduce slightly as it cooks.
11. Braise the lamb shanks for 1 hour, then turn the lamb shanks and place foil back on the pan. Continue roasting until a fork inserts easily into the meat, about 1 more hour.
12. Transfer the lamb shanks to a large bowl, cover with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes.
13. Pour the braising liquid into a saucepan, place over high heat and boil for 10 minutes, skimming fat as it reduces and slightly thickens.
14. Stir the chopped fresh rosemary into the sauce; check levels of salt and pepper and correct as required.
15. Serve the lamb shanks over mashed potatoes or creamy polenta with the pan sauce.

​ChefSecrets:  I prefer to use young lamb, it has less gamey flavor, sweeter at the bone and more tender than older lamb or mutton.

Quip of the Day: “As we grow older, we all want to revisit our youth. I want to be 14 again and ruin my life differently. I have new ideas.”
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