Oven braised lamb shanks are delicious and go well with many occasions. The tender meat is served with an aromatic wine sauce and impresses even your picky guests. Try the delicious lamb knuckle recipe right away.
Difference between leg of lamb and lamb shank
Although the two terms are often used interchangeably, lamb shanks are actually only the lower part of the leg of the lamb. Lamb legs or lam roasts are most often cut from the thighs.
Both cuts of meat are usually sold on the bone. But you can braise them with or without the bone. Lamb shanks are smaller pieces of meat and are therefore easy to portion.
As a rule of thumb, one leg of lamb is enough for 1 to 2 people, depending on appetite.
Which wine goes well?
Most lamb recipes have red wine on the ingredient list. This is because lamb has its own flavor, which is best supported by red grapes. Lamb shanks according to our recipe are best cooked with the following fruity wines:
- Pinot Noir
- Petit Verdot
- Shiraz
- Pinot Noir
- Beaujolais
- Light Chianti
You can also try white wine, it’s lighter. Chardonnay or Riesling go well here.
It is best to buy several bottles of the wine at once. It’s best to serve your braised lamb shank with the same wine that you used for cooking.
Variation
You can add more vegetables to your lamb shanks if you like. Fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, beans or bell peppers taste best. Simply put them in the roaster with the other ingredients after frying and let them simmer.
Side dishes for the lamb shanks
Your braised lamb shanks go well with any kind of vegetables, such as cabbage, green beans, or anykind of roasted root vegetables. For a special treat serve with roasted cherry tomatoes on the vine.
Store leftovers
You can keep leftovers in the fridge for several days. Leftovers you can eat as a lamb stir-fry, in a sandwich or add it to a casserole. Sky os the limit. 🙂 Frozen, the lamb meat will stay good for about 4 months.
Also try our Stuffed Turkey Roll Roast or Chicken & Mushrooms Casserole.
Grandma’s Lamb Shanks in a Wine Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 lamb shanks
- 1 cups shallots
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 cups celery
- 1½ cups carrots
- 2 tbsp oil
- 4 twigs rosemary
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 handful handful parsley
- 2 tbsp raisins or sultanas
- 1 cups red wine fruity
- 1 cups lamb stock or beef stock
- 1 ⅔ cups whipped cream
- 2 tbsp butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C) with top and bottom heat (convection is not suitable).
- Rinse the lamb shanks under running water, remove any excess tendons and pat dry with kitchen paper. Rub with salt and pepper.
- Peel the shallots and garlic cloves. Finely dice the shallot and slice the garlic. Clean and peel the celery root and carrots and cut everything into small cubes. Strip the rosemary needles from the branches against the growth direction and chop them finely.
- Heat oil or butter in a casserole dish and brown the lamb shanks on all sides. They should get a nice roasting aroma. Remove the shanks from the casserole dish and set them aside.
- Now first add the shallots to the hot casserole dish and fry them briefly. After 3 minutes, add the celery root and garlic and also fry briefly. Add the shanks back to the casserole dish and add bay leaves, rosemary, and raisins. Pour everything with the red wine and the lamb stock.
- Close the casserole dish with a lid and let the lamb shanks simmer in the oven for 2.5 hours.Baste the shanks with some braising liquid several times. After braising time, remove the lid and let them continue to roast for another 30 minutes.
- Remove the shanks from the casserole dish, cover with aluminum foil to keep warm and set aside.
- Strain the braising liquid from the casserole dish into a pot.Add the cream and let the stock boil down a bit. Season the red wine sauce well with salt and pepper. Now add the butter and bind the sauce with it.
- Arrange the lamb shanks on a platter and pour the red wine sauce over them or pass the sauce on the side. Finely chop the parsley and sprinkle over the lamb shanks.
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