The Classic Lamb Shank

This is a simple dish, easy to cook, prepare. It’s basically a simple casserole…
Lamb Shanks used to be cheap but became popular a few years ago and now they are relatively expensive. At the time of writing this an average shank was £3.50. (I guess they’re still cheap?)
Buy the best you can as the quality of the shank is paramount in making this – try not to get frozen – fresh local is best.

Ingredients:

For 2

2 lamb shanks
1 large carrot
1 onion
3 or 4 claves of garlic (more if you like garlic)
Bay leaf or 2
Thyme – fresh if you can – but dried is good – teaspoonful dry
Rosemary, a large sprig- definitely fresh as the dried version barely resembles the original
1/2 pint red wine
1/2 pint or more of good chicken stock

Method:

Brown off the shanks in a frying pan – just to add colour – and render off some fat
Place the shanks into the cooking dish
Drain off the fat and fry the onions and carrots add a little butter – add the garlic and cook for a min
Add the wine and the stock – plus the herbs
Bring to the boil and pour over the shanks – it needs to cover them – so add more stock if not
Cover and cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours on gas mark 2 – checking so it doesn’t dry out – the lamb will go hard and loose it’s succulence if not covered by the liquid.

After this time take out the lamb shanks – pass the cooking liquid through a sieve – and reduce the jus a little adding some butter to glaze. It should be thick enough – but if not you can mix some flour with cold water and add to the non-boiling liquid. It will thicken it.

Serving:

Serve with veg of your choice – but simple potatoes (mashed or not), carrots and green beans make ideal companions.