Braised Lamb Shanks in Red Wine Sauce
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 2 hours 50 mins
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 lamb shanks, each approx 1 lb (450g)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 finely diced carrots
- 1 finely diced onion
- 3 finely diced celery ribs (optional)
- 3 minced garlic cloves
- 2½ cups (625ml) full-bodied red wine
- 28 oz (800g) canned crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups (500ml) chicken stock or water
- 4 fresh bay leaves or 2 dried ones
- 5 sprigs of thyme, tied together
- ½ to 1½ cups (125 to 325ml) hot water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
- Pat the lamb shanks with paper towels, then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and some black pepper.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy based pot over a high heat.
- Brown the lamb shanks in there, in 2 batches.
- It will take about 5 minutes to brown them all over.
- Transfer the lamb on to a plate then drain any excess fat from the pot.
- Turn the heat down to low-medium.
- Now heat the a tablespoon of oil in the same pot and add the celery, onion, carrot and garlic.
- Sauté this mixture for 10 minutes.
- Pour in the red wine and turn up the heat up to medium-high.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the tasty brown bits up.
- Simmer it for 3 minutes.
- Add everything else (including the other teaspoon of salt and some more pepper) then stir to combine.
- Put the lamb shanks in the pot.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer, then put the lid on and bake for 2 hours.
- Turn the shanks over, cover the pot again, then cook for a further half hour.
- Discard the bay leaves and thyme, and skim any excess fat off the surface.
- Puree the sauce with an immersion blender, adding hot water if needed.
- If you don’t have one, use a blender.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the lamb shanks with the sauce ladled over them, perhaps pairing the dish with mashed potatoes and your favorite vegetable.
Notes
I like to put a sprig of rosemary in each bone, for a nice presentation.