Friday, January 3, 2014

From the Oven - Baked Lamb Shanks

HAPPY NEW YEAR

One of my goals this year is to allow myself more opportunities to enjoy the people, places, & things I love...like food!

A while ago Russell's mom brought us a couple of lamb shanks; but we hadn't found time time to cook it until things slowed down for the holidays.

When it came time to look for a fail-proof recipe to treat my lamb shanks, I turned to the place that I have learned not to doubt: America's Test Kitchen. I have always loved America's Test Kitchen because it is scientific & it is their job to takes out all of the guess-work for the home cook. Unfortunately, there was not a recipe for lamb shanks there...@ least not 1 that I can get without providing my credit card information.

Next I turned the search over to my good friend Google (it beats Bing...I've tested it) & the result was overwhelming. Most of the recipes call for a large dutch oven - which I don't have - & for braising the lamb shanks in a good amount of liquid at a high oven temperature for 3-4 hours. The only recipe that was different was one from Jamie Oliver which called for minimal equipment, lower oven temperature, & a shorter cooking time. Can anyone say perfect?

The Prep List...
   2 lamb shanks (~3 pounds total)
   4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
   3 sprigs of fresh thyme
   8 fresh sage leaves
   3 tablespoons butter, slightly softened
   1 large carrot
   0.5 yellow onion
   1 leek, well rinsed
   6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
   6 ounces white wine
   Olive oil
   Salt + Black pepper

Step-by-step Instructions...   
   Roughly chop up the leaves of 2 sprigs of rosemary, all 3 sprigs of thyme, & 4 of the sage leaves
   Thoroughly combine the chopped herb with the softened butter
   Using a small knife, separate the meat of each lamb shank from the bone, creating pockets
   Evenly distribute the herb butter into the pockets on the lamb shanks, set aside
   Peel the carrot and dice into small pieces; Thinly slice the onion and the leek
   Tear out 2 pieces of foil (about 10x12) and divide the vegetable & the garlic cloves onto each
   Oil the lamb shanks, season with salt & pepper, & place 1 on each pile of vegetables (bone sticking up)
   Place 1 whole sprig of rosemary & 2 sage leaves on top of each lamb shank
   Gather the foil & pour in the white wine; close it tightly around the bone to form 2 packets
   Place the packets onto a baking sheet & bake at 350F for 2.5 hours





















Makes 2 servings

The result was tasty but a little too oily. The lamb shanks were tender & flavorful thanks to the pockets of herb butter. While we certainly enjoyed the animal protein, the vegetables on the bottom were even more delicious. The onion & leek were extremely tender & sweet, & the carrots were not the least bit crunchy or grassy...just the way I like them. We ate the dish with rice (poor planning) but it would also go well with rice pilaf, creamy polenta, mashed potatoes, or even mashed cauliflower!