Braised Lamb Shanks

Lamb shanks are one of my dinner party staples - easy to prepare, needs very little attention, comes with a ready made sauce and easy to serve. When you braise lamb shanks, the lamb just melts in your mouth, you get the richest and most flavourful gravy from them and they really taste like hours of work have gone into it, when in actual fact, very little effort goes in!

The lamb is cooked for long enough that you can serve it on the bone, but without having a chewy consistency. For those that don't like meat on the bone, it is so easy to take the bone out, so it really is a great meal choice. 

I cook my lamb with Chantenay carrots, meaning that one portion of veg for your meal is already cooked, another reason why it's great for dinner parties. 

The lamb also freezes well, just keep the meat on the bone, and freeze with some of the sauce and you've got a luxury meal, that only needs defrosting.

Some people think that lamb shanks are quite expensive - I bought 3 large shanks, that serves four people (off the bone) for around £8.00, which makes it cheaper than steak, a beef joint or a lamb joint, so it's a great alternative for a Sunday roast.

Ingredients
  • 3 medium-large lamb shanks (if serving off the bone) or 4 small-medium lamb shanks (if serving on the bone)
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 250g Chantenay carrots, topped and tailed
  • 3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
  • 4 dried bay leaves
  • 1 tsp mixed herbs
  • 250ml dry white wine
  • 650ml chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • 2 tsp mint jelly

Method
  • Preheat the oven to 180c fan/Gas 4
  • Start by browning the lamb shanks in a casserole pan/dish on a high heat for around 10 minutes, remove the shanks and then put to one side.
  • Heat the oil in the pan used to brown the shanks, once hot, add the onions and carrots and fry for around 5 minutes on a medium heat.
  • Add the garlic and bay leaves and fry for a further 5 minutes.
  • Place the shanks back in the dish.
  • Add the stock, wine, tomato puree and mixed herbs and stir. 
  • Put the lid on the dish and put in the oven for 2 hours.
  • Carefully remove from the oven, take the lid off the dish and using tongs, turn the lamb shanks around, so that the exposed side of the shank is now in the liquid.
  • Place the dish back on a hob, on a medium heat and simmer for 15 mins, to reduce and thicken the gravy.
  • Stir in the mint jelly.
 
Lamb shanks with Chantenay carrots and new potatoes