Awesome Lamb Shanks With Sweet Potato Mash

Tasty Island Lamb, from Katie and Paul at La Crover Farms, on San Juan Island, Washington...

Don't let this dish scare you.  A little prep and stick it in the oven for 3 hours!  Kick back and have a few drinks while you're waiting for this wonderful meal to get some rich and intense flavors...

Recipe for two with tons of sauce leftover for pasta the next day:

2 lamb shanks
1 red onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 small parsnip, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 can Eden crushed tomatoes
1 6" sprig fresh rosemary, left whole
1 three finger pinch cayenne
1    "        "       "      salt
1/2 t fresh ground black pepper
flour for dusting
8 cups veggie stock
2 cups red wine
2 T olive oil
2 T butter
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 2" pieces, for the mash

Set the oven to 325* - A cast iron dutch oven works best for this meal.

Season the shanks with salt and pepper, then dust with flour.  Brown the shanks in the oil, over medium  heat in a large deep cast iron dutch oven.

When done set them aside, and add the butter to the pan.  When it's melted and foaming add the onions, carrots, celery, parsnip and garlic.  Cook until soft.  When finished season with salt and pepper, and add the cayenne.  Stir and then add the wine.  Reduce by half, then add the stock, tomato, rosemary, shanks and the canned tomatoes.  Put the lid on and pop it in the oven for three hours, checking every 45 minutes to make sure there's lots of liquid, add more stock if needed.

If there end's up being way too much liquid, then take the lid off for the last 20 minutes or so, to reduce it.

If you want to do an extra step, which will make for an even more wonderful flavors, try putting the canned tomatoes with a little stock in the oven covered for about 45 minutes!

Serve onto warm plates with mashed sweet potatoes...

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

Lamb Shanks in a Red Wine Sauce

Vegetarians turn away!

This dish takes a bit of time, but it's worth the wait...

Recipe:
1 onion finely chopped
2 carrots finely chopped
3 stalks celery finely chopped
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 small can tomatoes
5 cups stock
1 bottle red wine
2 lamb shanks
1 large sprig fresh rosemary
olive oil

First set your oven to 325*.  Puree one small can of organic tomatoes, and place in a roasting pan, add one cup of stock.  Cover with a lid or foil, then place in the oven for one and a half to two hours.  The flavors will really intensify by taking the time to do this step.  Make sure not to dry it out, add more stock if needed.

Take the shanks out of the fridge an hour before cooking them.  Place your chopped onions, carrot and celery on a cutting board and chop together a little more to infuse flavors.  This mixture is now called mirepoix.  Saute the mirepoix in a little olive oil until soft, add the garlic and then set aside.

Empty one bottle of red wine into a pan.  Over high heat bring the wine up to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer and reduce the liquid by two thirds.  Now do the same thing with the rest of the stock.

When the tomatoes are done, remove from oven and set aside.  Now season the shanks with salt and pepper.  Using a saute pan over high heat with a little olive oil, brown all sides of the shanks.

Add the shanks, rosemary, mirepoix, wine, stock and a good pinch of salt and pepper to the tomatoes.  Cover and return to the oven for 3 hours.  After 3 hours, if there is a lot of liquid left in the pan, cook for another half hour with the lid or foil removed, but be careful not to dry it out.  A cast iron dutch oven works well for this.

Serve over sweet potato and potato mash...

Bon Appetit!