Braised Lamb Shanks

Braised Lamb Shanks (Lou Rook, Annie Gunn's)

Posted: Tuesday, March 9, 2004 11:02 am

With Irish Stout And Root-Vegetable Pan Gravy

Lou Rook, Annie Gunn’s

Yield: 4 servings.

4 (10- to 14-ounce) lamb shanks

Kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

1 (11.2-ounce) bottle Guinness Stout

2 quarts beef broth, mushroom broth, lamb stock or veal stock (see note)

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 large celery root (celeriac), peeled and diced into medium cubes

1 pound parsnips, peeled and diced

2 medium turnips, peeled and diced

1 head garlic, peeled and chopped

2 large onions, peeled and diced into medium pieces

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

1/2 cup tomato paste

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into chunks

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season lamb shanks with salt and pepper to taste. Combine stout and broth in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high.

Heat oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Sear lamb shanks until brown on all sides. Put the browned lamb shanks, celery root, parsnips, turnips, garlic, onions, rosemary and tomato paste in a Dutch oven or a roasting pan with a cover.

Add hot broth to the roasting pan, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and cook for 45 minutes.

Remove from oven. Uncover and check for proper doneness (fork-tender), using a skewer or a knife. There should be little resistance. If the meat still appears to be tough, cover and return to the oven for 15 minutes.

When meat is properly done, remove shanks from broth. Strain out remaining ingredients, reserving broth. Remove rosemary stems from the vegetables, then purée the vegetables with a food processor, food mill or hand-held mixer. (This will serve as a natural thickener in the gravy.)

Add broth to vegetables; stir in salt and pepper to taste. Reheat if necessary. Swirl in butter to make pan gravy. Place lamb shanks in the pan gravy; keep warm until ready to serve. Champ or Colcannon (see recipes) makes a great accompaniment.

PER SERVING: 772 calories; 51g fat (59 percent calories from fat); 24g saturated fat; 160mg cholesterol; 29g protein; 48g carbohydrate; 19g sugar; 9.5g fiber; 2,861mg sodium; 136mg calcium; 979mg potassium.

Note: You can reduce the sodium in this recipe substantially by substituting low-sodium broth.