Red Wine-Braised Lamb Shanks

By BobD

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Four 1-pound lamb shanks
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled
• 4 medium carrots, sliced 1/4 thick
• 4 medium celery ribs, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• One 750-milliliter bottle dry red wine
• 1 cup water
• 3 bay leaves
• 12 peppercorns
• Maple-Glazed Root Vegetables and Braised Red Cabbage, for serving

Details

Servings 4
Cooking time 160mins
Adapted from foodandwine.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325°. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the olive oil. Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper and brown them on 3 sides over moderately high heat, about 4 minutes per side. Add the garlic, carrots, celery and onion to the casserole. Add the red wine and boil for 3 minutes. Add the water and bring to a simmer. Add the bay leaves and peppercorns. Cover the casserole tightly and transfer to the oven. Braise the lamb shanks, turning once, for about 1 1/2 hours, or until very tender.

Transfer the lamb shanks to an ovenproof serving dish. Using a fine sieve, strain the braising liquid into a medium saucepan, pressing on the solids. Boil the braising liquid over high heat until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and pour about 1/2 cup over the lamb shanks; keep the remaining sauce warm. Cover the lamb shanks with foil and reheat in the oven for about 10 minutes. Serve the lamb shanks with the remaining sauce, the Maple-Glazed Root Vegetables and the Braised Red Cabbage.