This braised lamb shank recipe from Serious Eats is simple but very delicious.
Preheat your oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Season 4 lamb shanks with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat some olive oil in a heavy dutch oven over high heat and sear the lamb on all sides until brown. Add 2 finely minced shallots and 4 finely minced cloves of garlic and cook briefly until fragrant. Pour in 1 cup of dry white wine and boil for a minute. Now add 2 cups of stock, 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce and 2 tablespoons of whole grain mustard. Top with ½ a bunch of mint still on the stem. Cover and transfer to the oven for at least 2 hours. Remove the lamb and skim any excess fat from the juices. Reduce the liquid if necessary and check the seasoning. Serve the lamb with the sauce poured over it and garnish with more fresh mint.
While the oven is on, why not roasted some vegetables too? Shown in the image above is a great combination adapted from this recipe. Combine in an oven tray 3 potatoes cut into pieces, 6 trimmed and chopped carrots, 6 shallots, 8 peeled garlic cloves, ½ a teaspoon of grated fresh ginger, ½ a teaspoon ground Aleppo pepper or cayenne, 1 teaspoon of roughly crushed coriander seeds, 6 sprigs of fresh thyme, 4 bay leaves and three finely chopped quarters of preserved lemon rind. Measure 400ml (13½ fl oz) of hot vegetable stock and add 100ml (3⅓ fl oz) each of olive oil and dry white wine and pour it over the vegetables. Transfer to the oven for 45 minutes, turning once or twice. Remove from the oven and add 1 drained can of halved artichoke hearts. Drizzle everything evenly with 2 tablespoons of honey and roast for a further 10 minutes. Finally, add some frozen broad beans and return to the oven until they are just cooked.
michelle picker cooks 