Week 4 - Baked Lamb Shanks

I was very excited to give this recipe a try, purely for the fact it was so simple! Just cut up some veg, pop the meat on the top and let time do the rest. Shanks always inspire that home cooked, wintery, warming, under a doona kind of feeling. Since summer had decided to desert us for a week I was craving this sort of meal. Even preparing the dish was making me feel all warm and fuzzy. Fresh herbs, onion.. it was all coming together.

Apart from the cooking time, I really think I only spent around 5 minutes prepping.. for something so delicious you can't do any better!

I had planned to serve these with some creamy mash but found we had no potato, or sweet potato, or pumpkin or anything to mash! All we had that could be used was tomatoes, so I stuffed them with breadcrumbs, basil, onion and garlic and roasted for 20min. It all turned out well and complemented each other nicely.

Stuffing the shanks with herby butter

Big pile of yum

Three little piggies (not really but that what they reminded me of!)

The finished product

Book: Cook with Jamie

Recipe: Incredible Baked Lamb Shanks

Ingredients: 

Serves 4

6 sprigs of fresh rosemary
150g cold butter
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
15 fresh sage leaves
sea salt ad freshly ground pepper
4 lamb shanks
12 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
2 large carrots, peeled and finely sliced
1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
1 leek, washed, halved and finely sliced
olive oil
white wine

Method: 

Preheat oven to 180°C. Pick the leaves off two sprigs of rosemary, whiz them with the butter, most of the sage and the thyme in a food processor and season with salt and pepper. Using a small knife take one of the shanks and cut between the meat and the bone from the base upwards. You want to create a pocket. Once done to all the shanks divide the butter between them and push into the pockets. This will give a wonderful flavour to the heart of the shanks.

Tear off four arm length pieces of foil and fold in half to give you four A3 sizes. Divide the garlic and veg between them, making a pile in the middle of the foil. Season the shanks with oil, salt and pepper and place each on top of a pile and top with a sprig of rosemary and a few fresh sage leaves. Carefully pull up the sides of the foil around the shank and pour a swig of wine on top. Gather the foil around the bone, pinching it together tightly. Repeat for all shanks, then place the parcels on a baking tray with the bones facing up. Put in the preheated oven for 2½ hours or until the meat is as tender as can be. Serve the parcels in the middle of the table so that your guests can open them up themselves.

Changes Made: I did not bother french trimming my shanks, yes they look pretty, but more flavour was what I was going for. 

Results: Once again a winner, Jamie can you ever do wrong? So easy and tasted amazing. They were different from my usual slow cooker as there was less juice. The shanks dried out a little, but it was kind of good, as it was more.. meatier. 

Next Time: More wine in each parcel, I skimped a little on this one, thinking there might be too much liquid in there but really could have used the half a glass he suggested.