Roasted Lamb Shanks
If you only ever cook one more meal in your life, make sure it is the one. Roasted Lamb Shanks. Also known as Lamb Drums. This is an iconic kiwi lamb dish that takes the most flavoursome part of the lamb and slow cooks it to perfection. All the herbs, vegetables and seasoning in this dish allow the lamb to truly shine. Come on, let's allow this lamb to speak for itself........
- 1 lamb drum/shank medium
- 1 tbsp rice bran oil
- 1 tomato roughly chopped
- 2 tsp dried rosemary
- 4 cloves garlic whole
- 1 medium brown onion
- 1 medium carrot chopped
- 1/2 red capsicum chopped
- 1 tsp ground fennel seeds
- 1/2 cup red wine or red grape juice
- 1 cup low sodium beef stock
- 2 bay leaf
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp cornflour + 2 tbsp water
-
Lamb shanks are from the bottom section of the leg just below the knee. Often with this cut, the meat will extend the entire length of the bone. They can be 'french trimmed' which is where a small bit of meat is removed from the bone to make the shank look more pleasing. When this is done it is often referred to as a Lamb Drum. You will need one shank per person when making this meal and as far as I'm concerned, this delivers the best part of the lamb to every person eating.
Shanks are best cooked long and slow until the meat literally falls off the bone. The gelatinous sinews of this small joint create a rich thick sauce when you pot roast them in wine or stock in the oven at a low temperature, or in a slow cooker. I normally cook mine at 140 degrees C for about two and a half hours to three hours. In this recipe above the roasted vegetables combine with the meat juices to make a thick tasty gravy.