Thanks to housemates Duncan and Adam for their tips that contributed to this.
Lamb shanks don’t exactly have a great flavour and are muscley and tough. It’s a wonder why they appear on the menus of so many top end restaurants. However, it is nice when you can actually turn such an apparently poor cut into a nice juicy bit of meat that falls off the bone.
For one generous portion
Ingredients
- 1 large lamb shank,
- 6 cloves garlic,
- 1/2 bottle of port,
- lamb stock,
- 1 sprig rosemary.
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1/2 medium onion, sliced
- a little cassis (oprional)
- 1 tbsp cornflour paste (only if the sauce ends up thin)
Method
- Take 3 cloves of garlic and cut them into slices (about 4 per clove).
- Take 4 or 5 clusters of leaves from the rosemary.
- Using a small sharp knife, make lots of little slits all over the shank, deep enough to hold one of the garlic slices and rosemary leaves.
- Push the garlic and rosemary leaves into the slits you have made in the lamb and into the folds in the front of the shank.
- Take an oven proof dish with a lid so the dish is large enough to hold the shank. Try to find one that is deep but not too wide as this will make better use of the braising liquid.
- Put the onion into the dish followed by the shank.
- Tear up the rosemary and the thyme and add to the dish. Crush the rest of the garlic and add this too.
- Pour the port over the lamb. If the shank is not completely covered, add lamb stock until it is.
- Cover and leave to marinate for several hours or overnight.
- Cover and cook at gas mark 2 for 5 hours, turning once halfway through cooking.
- Turn the lamb shanks again, continue to cook for another hour and 30 minutes without the lid.
- Remove the dish from the over. Transfer about 300ml of the liquid and most of the onions into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
- When the liquid has reduced by about half, add a dash of cassis, if using.
- Thicken the sauce with cornflour paste if necessary.
- Serve the shank on mashed potato, topped with the sauce with a wintery vegetable side dish.
Thanks to housemates Duncan and Adam for their tips that contributed to this.
Lamb shanks don’t exactly have a great flavour and are muscley and tough. It’s a wonder why they appear on the menus of so many top end restaurants. However, it is nice when you can actually turn such an apparently poor cut into a nice juicy bit of meat that falls off the bone.
For one generous portion
Ingredients
- 1 large lamb shank,
- 6 cloves garlic,
- 1/2 bottle of port,
- lamb stock,
- 1 sprig rosemary.
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1/2 medium onion, sliced
- a little cassis (oprional)
- 1 tbsp cornflour paste (only if the sauce ends up thin)
Method
- Take 3 cloves of garlic and cut them into slices (about 4 per clove).
- Take 4 or 5 clusters of leaves from the rosemary.
- Using a small sharp knife, make lots of little slits all over the shank, deep enough to hold one of the garlic slices and rosemary leaves.
- Push the garlic and rosemary leaves into the slits you have made in the lamb and into the folds in the front of the shank.
- Take an oven proof dish with a lid so the dish is large enough to hold the shank. Try to find one that is deep but not too wide as this will make better use of the braising liquid.
- Put the onion into the dish followed by the shank.
- Tear up the rosemary and the thyme and add to the dish. Crush the rest of the garlic and add this too.
- Pour the port over the lamb. If the shank is not completely covered, add lamb stock until it is.
- Cover and leave to marinate for several hours or overnight.
- Cover and cook at gas mark 2 for 5 hours, turning once halfway through cooking.
- Turn the lamb shanks again, continue to cook for another hour and 30 minutes without the lid.
- Remove the dish from the over. Transfer about 300ml of the liquid and most of the onions into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
- When the liquid has reduced by about half, add a dash of cassis, if using.
- Thicken the sauce with cornflour paste if necessary.
- Serve the shank on mashed potato, topped with the sauce with a wintery vegetable side dish.
