These are the best lamb shanks ever, according to my husband, Bruce, the shank fanatic in our family. They end up richly glazed with sauce.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 lamb shanks
2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
½ cup red wine
3 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 1-inch-wide strip orange peel
¼ cup chopped parsley
Method
Preheat oven to 300 F.
Heat vegetable oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle lamb shanks with 1 teaspoon rosemary and season with salt and pepper. Brown lamb shanks on all sides, about 2 minutes a side or until a dark brown colour. Remove from pot. Turn heat to medium-low. Add onions and garlic and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle onions with flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until flour has browned slightly.
Pour in red wine. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Add stock, balsamic vinegar, sugar, tomato paste, bay leaf, remaining teaspoon rosemary and orange peel. Bring to boil again. Return shanks to pot. Cover and bake for 1 hour.
Turn lamb shanks in pan to braise the other side, return to oven and bake for 30 minutes longer. Remove lid and bake for another 30 minutes or until lamb is very tender and sauce is thick and rich. Remove bay leaf and orange peel before serving. Sprinkle with parsley.
Lucy Waverman