The Perpetual Feast

Lamb shanks are very rich.  The shank is the lower part of the leg – the ankle so to speak – and perhaps their richness comes from the notion that the closer to the bone, the sweeter the meat.  They certainly are bony. I always thought that they would be high in fat, so although I love their pronounced lamb flavor and hearty goodness, I have avoided cooking them.  But, since they were on sale last week, I looked them up and they were surprisingly low in fat if you trim them well.

Lamb shanks require long, slow cooking , otherwise they would be very tough.  This is a good make ahead dish, because you will want to skim the fat off after cooking, and like many rich dishes, the flavor deepens the next day.

Braised Lamb Shanks

1 Tablespoon  minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon  salt
½  teaspoon  crushed dried savory or 1 teaspoon minced fresh savory
½  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
4 lamb shanks (about 12 ounces each)
1 teaspoon  olive oil
2 cups onion, chopped small (I chopped the onion and carrots in the food processor so they melted into the sauce)
1 cup carrots, chopped small
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups  dry red wine
3/4 cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup  fat-free, less-sodium beef broth

Trim every bit of visible fat from the lamb shanks.  Combine the first 4 ingredients, setting aside 1 teaspoon of the herb mixture. Rub lamb shanks all over with remaining herb mixture.  Spray a large pan or Dutch oven with cooking spray.  Add oil to pan and heat over medium heat. Add lamb to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned.  (I had to do them 2 at a time to fit them in the pan and give them room to brown.) Remove lamb from pan; keep warm.  Add onion, carrot, and garlic to pan; cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned and tender, stirring occasionally. Add wine and reserved 1 teaspoon herb mixture; bring to a boil. Cook until mixture is reduced to 2 cups (about 6 minutes). Add broths; bring to a boil. Cook until mixture is reduced to 1 3/4 cups (about 5 minutes). Return lamb to pan; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 1/2 hours or until lamb is tender, turning shanks occasionally. I had to add ½ cup of water to the lamb about half way through to keep the liquid from drying up and burning – so keep a careful eye on them, and check the liquid level when you turn the shanks.  When the shanks are done, remove them from the braising liquid.

Pour braising liquid into a container. Refrigerate lamb and braising liquid separately. When liquid has chilled and fat hardened on the surface, remove the fat and discard it. Reheat the shanks in the braising liquid.  Makes 4 servings at about 8 grams of fat/serving.  Serve over rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes.