Spring Lamb Shanks, Braised
Published March 23, 1991
- Total Time
- 3 hours 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
8 medium to small lamb shanks, about 6 pounds total
4 tablespoons olive oil or other vegetable oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
½ cup finely chopped leeks
½ cup finely chopped celery
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups dry white wine, kosher for Passover if necessary
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 large sprigs fresh Italian parsley
2 bay leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely minced parsley
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons potato starch or cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
Juice of 1 lemon
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
7 grams carbs; 224 milligrams cholesterol; 802 calories; 24 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams saturated fat; 53 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 1007 milligrams sodium; 64 grams protein; 1 gram sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a large, heavy covered casserole or roasting pan, large enough to hold the lamb shanks, heat half the oil. Add the lamb shanks, a few at a time, and brown them well on all sides. Remove them from the pan.
- Step 2
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Step 3
Add the remaining oil to the pan, lower the heat and saute the onion, leeks and celery until they are soft and lightly browned. Stir in all but one-half teaspoon of the garlic, then add the wine. Simmer for a few minutes, scraping the browned particles from the bottom of the pan.
- Step 4
Stir in the rosemary, parsley sprigs and bay leaves. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, then return the lamb to the pan. Cover and place in the oven to bake until the lamb is very tender, about three hours.
- Step 5
While the lamb is baking, mix the remaining garlic with the minced parsley and lemon peel and set aside.
- Step 6
When the lamb is tender, remove it from the pan. Bring the liquid to a simmer on top of the stove and taste it for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if necessary. Dissolve the potato starch or cornstarch in the cold water and stir it in to thicken the sauce, then stir in the lemon juice. Return the lamb to the pan and baste it with the sauce. Keep warm until ready to serve or, if desired, prepare it in advance and reheat it just before serving.
- Step 7
Transfer the lamb to a platter and spoon the sauce over it. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley, garlic and lemon peel mixture and serve.
Private Notes
Comments
This is an excellent recipe. Just made this Passover, the 2nd year of pandemic. Could only get very large lamb shanks, which worked as well - at least in a dutch oven. I added more wine than called for as my shanks were much bigger than the recipe calls for. Also added carrot and a proportionally larger amount of the vegetables as my daughter loves them. Didn’t have or need to add either starch to thicken. The shanks were falling off bone tender at 2 1/2 to 3 hours....
This dish is really excellent. I’ve actually used it twice to make lamb necks, not shanks. I’ve noticed that, at the longer end of the cooking time, all the wine evaporates, leaving the veggies as a caramelized sludge baked to the bottom of my dutch oven. So that quantity could probably be at least doubled. Second item - why leave the parsley and rosemary on the stem? The leaves fall off while cooking, and then I need to spend time fishing the stems out of aforementioned sludge.
Followed the recipe completely, including using the white bean puree. Shanks were tasty, but dish ends up being brown, making the chopped parsley-lemon zest-garlic mixture a must. Felt like the shanks lacked something. Wonder if using red wine, sherry or marsala might add more flavor pop? If making dish again, would layer the shanks over steamed or grilled asparagus or broccolini.
Just delicious as is. I didn't add the raw garlic at the end but when cooking. I sprinkled the finished shanks with chopped parsley, mint and lemon zest. It was beautiful and delicious. I laid the shanks on top of a white bean puree which was great.
This dish is really excellent. I’ve actually used it twice to make lamb necks, not shanks. I’ve noticed that, at the longer end of the cooking time, all the wine evaporates, leaving the veggies as a caramelized sludge baked to the bottom of my dutch oven. So that quantity could probably be at least doubled. Second item - why leave the parsley and rosemary on the stem? The leaves fall off while cooking, and then I need to spend time fishing the stems out of aforementioned sludge.