Braised Lamb Shanks

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In the words of my husband: “Braised lamb shanks top a Thanksgiving dinner!” Now, I don’t know if I would personally go that far, but they definitely rate up there! This was our dinner last night, and all morning my son has been commenting that he wished there were lamb shank leftovers he could eat for lunch today.

Searing the lamb first and then letting it cook in the “sauce” makes it so incredibly tender and flavorful; especially with the fresh herbs! Plus you can thicken the sauce a little more after cooking and have that with the shanks and mashed potatoes……..seriously YUM!!! Most of the cooking time is completely hands off which makes it perfect for a Holiday or special occasion dinner, or just a nice snowy Sunday night dinner like we had last night!

Braised Lamb Shank Recipe:

• 3-4 lbs of lamb shanks

• freshly ground salt and pepper

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 cup chopped onion

• 1/2 cup chopped celery

• 6 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 1/2 cups red wine

• 2 1/2 cups beef stock

• 1 sprig EACH of fresh rosemary, thyme, sage

1. Pre-heat oven to 350*

2. Season lamb shanks with fresh ground/cracked salt and pepper, set to side

3. Heat ~ 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large dutch oven (or other pan with a lid that can go from stove top to oven) over medium to medium-high heat

4. Once hot, place lamb shanks into pan and sear all sides; once seared transfer to a plate and set aside

5. Add fresh herbs, chopped onion, chopped celery, and minced garlic to pan; sauté for 3-4 minutes until they start to get tender; reduce heat slightly if needed to keep from burning

6. Slowly add red wine and beef stock while stirring to get the bits off the bottom of pan; add additional freshly ground/cracked salt and pepper

7. Once the sauce starts to bubble, add seared lamb shanks back into the pan

8. Place lid on pan and pop into the 350* oven for 2-3 hours (cooking time will depend on size of lamb shanks) the meat will begin to fall of the bone and be extremely tender when done

9. If you would like to thicken the sauce after removing from oven: remove lamb shanks from pan and then 1.) let sauce reduce down for a few minutes over medium high heat OR 2.) work a few tablespoons of flour and butter together using a fork and then whisk into the sauce over medium high heat, after the sauce starts to bubble it with begin to thicken