Lamb shanks are a great winter recipe. They are what many would classify as comfort food.
It seems that only 5 or 6 years ago lamb shanks were not considered to be a sophisticated dish – in fact it was easy to pick them up at a supermarket or butcher for $2 each. Those days are gone and now restaurants and chefs have elevated this simple dish into a more worthy position on the recipe ladder.
Regardless they are still relatively cheap, easy to prepare, and they look great on a large white plate with mashed potato. You’re bound to impress.
I’m not saying that the recipe below is the best Lamb Shank recipe around. It’s just one of hundreds. I’ll try and add more shank recipes over the next few months.
The one similarity that all lamb shank recipes have though is that you need to cook them long and slow. This is because the meat is tough and lean (in its raw state) and so greatly benefits from that slow moist cooking process.
Ingredients:
– Oil oil (to brown lamb)
– 2-4 lamb shanks
– 2 onions, chopped
– 4 cloves of garlic, minced
– 1 tsp turmeric
– 1 tsp curry powder
– 1 tsp ground ginger
– 1 red pepper diced finely
– 1 tsp of cinnamon
– dash nutmeg
– black pepper
– 1 Tbsp of honey
– 2 Tbsp of soy sauce
Method:
Sprinkle lamb shanks with salt, black pepper and curry powder.
Put oil into a heavy-bottomed pan and warm over medium heat. Brown the lamb shanks on all sides and then remove to a plate. In the same pan, add the onion and garlic and soften.
Stir in the turmeric, curry, ginger, red-pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir again, adding the honey and soy sauce. Put the shanks back in the pan, add cold water almost to cover, bring to the boil and then put a lid on the pan, lower the heat and simmer for 1.5 – 2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Check for seasoning and add salt & pepper to taste.
Lamb shanks should almost always be served on a bed of mashed potato.
Enjoy.
A variation of this recipe can be found here. Photo by Jenn S.