Slow-Cooked Lamb Shanks with Buttery Mash
I have a few dishes that are a must come winter, and this is one of them! Tender, oh so tender lamb shanks is a simple tomato-based sauce with carrot, served with a buttery smooth potato mash. It’s instantly warming, satisfying, and will have you reaching for a glass of red wine.
A couple of notes before you start - as shanks are long, it can be hard to find a pot to cook them in, so I use a wide, shallow pot. This can mean that the stock won’t fully cover the meat, so work around this, you can make a paper cartochue, or just turn the meat every hour, giving both sides a chance to ternderise. Also, I don’t season the dish until it’s finished cooking - tomato paste, red wine and stock can all be high in salt. If you season the dish at the start, it can end up being too salty at the end, when the sauce has reduced.
Slow-Cooked Lamb Shanks with Buttery Mash
INGREDIENTS
LAMB SHANKS
4 lamb shanks
1 onion finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 large carrots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
125ml red wine
750ml stock (chicken or veg works best)
Small handful of fresh thyme sprigs
Olive oil
Sea salt + black pepper
Handful of finely chopped parsely
BUTTERY MASH
1kg white potatoes
1/4 cup milk
60g butter, cut into a few knobs
Sea salt, to taste
DIRECTIONS
Place a large pan over a medium heat, with a little olive. Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper, then brown them in the pan, on all sides. Remove and set aside.
Reduce the heat to low, then add the onion, garlic and carrot to the same pan, and gently cook until the onions have softened. Add the tomato paste and stir in well. Turn the heat up to medium, then add in the red wine and allow it to simmer for 2 minutes so the alcohol cooks off. Add in the thyme and stock, then place the lamb shanks back in the pot. Reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer, place a lid on, and allow the shanks to slowly cook for 3 hours, turning them twice during the cook. When done, turn off the heat, check the seasoning, and scatter over the parsley. Note: Red wine, tomato paste and stock can all be high in salt, so it’s best to not season until the end.
To make the mash, chop your potatoes into equal sizes (I like to cut them into 4), place into a pot of cold water, season with about 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, then gently boil until they are tender. Remove the potatoes from the pot and set them aside for a one minute so all the excess water evaporates. Mash the potatoes (or even better use a potato ricer), add in the butter and milk, and stir vigorously. Taste for seasoning.
Place the mash in the bottom of a plate or bowl, a lamb shanks and a good scoop of carrot and sauce. Eat while nice and hot.
Serves 4.
