Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks recipe

Cold weather makes me yearn for comfort food, and there can be no greater hug than from this slow cooked lamb shank dish.  Cooking them this way makes the meat tender and fall from the bone, and is probably one of my favourite lamb dishes.

I prefer to make this dish myself, simply because many restaurants buy in ready made items, which they boil in a bag or microwave.  They taste far inferior to proper cooked ones.  However, slow cooked lamb shanks that are freshly made and cooked, can rival the best of roast dinners.  It is simple to put together, so do give this recipe a go.  You will be pleased you did!

slow cooked lamb shanks recipe Ingredients

• 4 Lamb shanks
• 2 Leeks chunky chopped
• 2 Carrots chunky chopped
• 1 Red Onion chunky sliced
• 2 Sprigs of rosemary (or a teaspoon of dried)
• Handful of mint leaves chopped
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1 Glass of red wine
• 3 Fat Garlic Cloves chopped in half
• 3 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
• 250mls of beef stock
• Ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• (Optional) Mushrooms a handful chopped in half

slow cooked lamb shanks recipe method

This is all about preparation.  There is precious little cooking which if you are busy, can be a lifesaver.  Pre-heat oven to 150 degrees.  Heat the olive oil in a large casserole pan, add the lamb shanks and turn them around to brown slightly.  Once you have done this, remove from the heat and simply add all the other ingredients.  Give the dish a mix round and place the lid on.  Cook for about two and a half to three hours.  The meat will come off the bone shank very easy, so gently remove them when serving.  I like to use and eat the vegetables that they were cooking with, which turns to be a rich ratatouille style mixture.  I serve this with roast or mashed potatoes and green cabbage.