If you make my Braised Lamb Shanks, you are in for a treat. Slow cooked with loads of flavor, I serve this on special occasions. I also love this over my Whipped Roasted Garlic Sweet Potatoes. Talk about the perfect combination. A green veggie rounds out the meal (peas, broccoli and asparagus all work).
There may be extra sauce if you are only cooking two shanks but you can put that to good use over lamb chops, egg noodles as a side dish, or even tossed with pasta and veggies. It is sooooo good.
I also highly recommend backing this dish a day or two in advance. As with all long braised dishes, they just seem to get better and the flavors intensify if allowed to sit. If you are going to make in advance, follow the instructions below.
To get started on this dish, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Dry the lamb shanks with paper towel. Season the shanks liberally with the salt and pepper on all sides. You can make 2 – 4 lamb shanks with this recipe. If you are only serving two, you’ll have extra sauce. One shank is more than enough for one person so plan accordingly. If you make the four shanks, you can have a second meal for two. Works for me!!! LOL
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the lamb shanks on all sides until browned on all sides. This will take 5-8 minutes. Once browned, remove to a plate.
Dump any excess fat from the pot and put the pot back on the stove over medium-low heat and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. I usually don’t have that much extra oil…just a FYI. Add the onion, celery and carrots and cook for about five minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the minced garlic and stir into the mix. Cook for about one minute.
Put the tomatoes in a blender and pulse a couple of time until almost smooth. Add the red wine, the lamb stock (it is a gel like mixture), water, blended tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme and bay leaves to the pot. PRO MOVE: tie the thyme together with a piece of twine. This will make finding the thyme stems at the end easy. You’ll discard those stems when the dish is done. Stir everything to combine. Let the liquid come to a simmer and make sure the lamb stock gel is fully incorporated into the liquid. Stir the pot to help dissolve it into the broth.
Add back the lamb shanks and get them covered with the liquid. Bring back up to a simmer, cover the pot and place in the preheated oven. Cook for about two hours.
At two hours, remove the lid, stir to combine and check on meat. Put back in the oven uncovered for another half hour. You want the lamb to be almost falling off the bone.
When done, remove the lamb shanks to a plate and cover with foil. Remove the bay leaves and the thyme stems and discard.
Strain the sauce through a sieve into a bowl or very large measuring cup. Press down on the veggies to extract as much liquid as possible. Pour the strained liquid back into the pot and simmer over medium-high heat to reduce slightly. You want to thicken up the sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
I serve the lamb shanks on a bed of my Whipped Roasted Garlic Sweet Potatoes. However, mashed potatoes or egg noodles would work too. Serve with some sauce on top and the rest in a gravy boat on the side.
To Make the Braised Lamb Shanks in Advance
Prepare this dish through Step 6. Then let cool completely. Cover and put in the refrigerator overnight and up to two days.
When you are ready to serve, take the covered pot out of the refrigerator. Excess fat will have formed on the top of the liquid. Skim that off and discard. By chilling for a day or two, it also makes removing excess fat from the dish easier. And who doesn’t like easy?
Then, put the pot on the stove over medium heat and bring back to a simmer. Simmer for at least 20-25 minutes to completely reheat the lamb shanks. Remove the lamb shanks to a dish and cover.
Proceed with steps 7 – 10 in the recipe.
The flavors are so rich and intensified after a couple of days that I rarely make this the same day I’m serving it. That also makes this an amazing over-the-top dinner to serve to guests.
Another tip if serving with the whipped roasted garlic sweet potatoes, I’ll make those potatoes a couple of hours before dinner. I can put them in a bowl that I sit on top of a pot of simmering water. That keeps them hot and ready to serve when my dinner is ready. Plus, I’m not running around the kitchen in the last minutes frantically trying to pull this dinner together. If they appear to get thicker, just add more milk or cream and stir into the potatoes. Perfect every time.
If you enjoy slow, braised dishes where the meat just falls off the bone, be sure to try some of my other favorites:
Braised Beef Short Ribs with Mushrooms and Onions
Braised Lamb Shanks
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 – 4 Lamb Shanks
- 1 Tsp. Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Tsp. Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Tbsp. Olive oil
- 1 Small Onion, finely diced
- 3 Garlic cloves, finely minced
- 3 Carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 Celery Stalks, finely chopped
- 2 1/2 Cups Red Wine (Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot)
- 28 Oz. Can San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
- 1.5 Oz. Glace d’Agneau Gold Classic Roasted Lamb Stock
- 20 Oz. Water
- Small bunch fresh thyme
- 2 Bay leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Dry the lamb shanks with paper towel. Season the shanks liberally with the salt and pepper on all sides. You can make 2 – 4 lamb shanks with this recipe. If you are only serving two, you’ll have extra sauce.
- Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the lamb shanks on all sides until browned on all sides. This will take 5-8 minutes. Once browned, remove to a plate.
- Dump any excess fat from the pot and put the pot back on the stove over medium-low heat and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion, celery and carrots and cook for about five minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the minced garlic and stir into the mix. Cook for about one minute.
- Put the tomatoes in a blender and pulse a couple of time until almost smooth and there are very few small pieces of tomato. Add the red wine, the lamb stock gel, water, blended tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme and bay leaves to the pot. PRO MOVE: tie the thyme together with a piece of twine. This will make finding the thyme stems at the end easy. You’ll discard those stems when the dish is done. Stir everything to combine. Let the liquid come to a simmer and make sure the lamb stock gel is fully incorporated into the liquid.
- Add back the lamb shanks and get them covered with the liquid. Bring back up to a simmer, cover the pot and place in the preheated oven. Cook for about two hours.
- At two hours, remove the lid, stir to combine and check on meat. Put back in the oven uncovered for another half hour. You want the lamb to be almost falling off the bone.
- When done, remove the lamb and put on a plate. Cover with foil to keep warm.
- Remove the bay leaves and thyme stems and discard.
- Strain the sauce through a sieve into a bowl or very large measuring cup. Press down on the veggies to extract as much liquid as possible. Pour the strained liquid back into the pot and simmer over medium-high heat to reduce slightly. You want to thicken up the sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
- To serve the lamb shanks, I recommend serving them on a bed of my Whipped Roasted Garlic Sweet Potatoes. However, mashed potatoes or egg noodles would work. Serve with some sauce on top and the rest in a gravy boat on the side.
