These slow-braised Lamb Shanks are fall off the bone tender. As they are great when made in advance they are a perfect and impressive dinner party dish.
1teaspoonor to taste herbs de Provence - a combination of dried basil, thyme, lavender, and fennel. If unavailable, an Italian herb blend could be substituted.
2teaspoonscornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons cold wateralso known as a slurry
Instructions
Dry the shanks with a paper towel (dry meat browns, wet meat steams); season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven and brown the shanks well on all sides; do this in batches so the meat browns well. Once the shanks are browned, remove them to a platter and lower the heat to medium-low. Add the lemon slices and let them just start to brown; add the garlic, tomatoes, white wine, chicken stock, rosemary sprigs, and the herbs de Provence. Return the shanks to the pot. Bring to a simmer; cover and cook very slowly on the stovetop or in a 325 °F oven for 3 hours. Or you can put this in your crockpot and cook all day on low. (If you are in a hurry, you can also pressure cook these for 1 hour).
After your shanks are cooked, remove the rosemary sprigs (all of the leaves will have fallen off); remove the lamb shanks and put them on a platter, cover with foil and place in the warm oven (heat off) while you prepare the sauce.
Pour the "slurry" into the simmering liquid and stir until the sauce thickens. Serve the shanks and sauce over polenta, mashed potatoes or noodles.
Notes
Dry the meat and season well prior to browning. Make sure both your pot and oil are hot before you start to brown the meat, do be careful of splatter.