Slow cooked lamb shanks in red wine & onion sauce

A delicious and comforting winter warmer, with a touch more elegance than a run-of-the-mill casserole or stew.

Preparation time:  Around 15 minutes

Cooking time:  Around 3 hours

This meal is really low effort, but makes quite a statement on the plate as a gastro-pub style main course, and is a rich and hearty meal for the long winter nights.

Ingredients (serves 2):

• Lamb shanks – 2

• Plain flour – 1-2 tbsp.

• Red onion – 1, thinly sliced

• Garlic – 2 cloves, crushed

• Balsamic vinegar – 100ml

• Red wine – 500ml

• Tomato puree – 2 tbsp.

• Rosemary – 1 sprig (fresh) or 1 tsp. (dried)

• Mashed potatoes – to serve

• Fresh parsley – 1 tsp., finely chopped

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 130°C (for fan assisted ovens).  Dust the lamb shanks with the flour and a generous grinding of fresh salt and pepper (a good method to get an even coating is to mix everything together in a food bag), then heat a splash of oil and a knob of butter in a deep-sided casserole pan on the hob.  When hot, add the lamb shanks and brown on each side (you may need to use thongs to manoeuvre them in the pan);

2. Once the lamb shanks are browned on all sides, add the sliced onion and crushed garlic to the pan and soften for a few minutes, before adding the balsamic vinegar.  Allow the vinegar to bubble for half a minute, then add the wine, followed by the tomato puree and rosemary;

3. There should be enough liquid to cover all (or at least most) of the lamb shanks – if there isn’t, try adding a splash more water.  Cover the casserole pan, and transfer to the oven for about two and a half hours;

4. When the lamb shanks have about 20-30 minutes left, start on your mashed potatoes.  I normally boil the diced potatoes for about 20 minutes, but I’m sure you have your own methods/timings.  You ideally want the mashed potatoes be to ready to dish up about 5-10 minutes after the lamb shanks are cooked;

5. When the lamb shanks are done, the meat should be so tender it’s almost falling off the bone (so be very careful with handling the shanks).  Remove the lamb shanks from the casserole and keep them warm (under foil), while you thicken the sauce.  Depending on how much liquid has evaporated already, you may be able to get the sauce to the desired consistency just by boiling it down for a couple of minutes, or you may need to add a little cornflour to thicken it up;

6. When the potatoes are cooked and mashed, add a sprinkle of chopped parsley and mix through, before making a bed of herby mash in the centre of each plate.  Sit the lamb shanks on top of the mash, then pour over the thick, rich wine and red onion sauce and serve.

Slow cooked lamb shanks in red wine and onion sauce, with herby mashed potatoes