Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks in Tomato Sauce. The lamb is first seared to add texture to the meat and create a base of flavour to layer upon while building the sauce. Then tenderly braised in a savoury blend of red wine, chicken stock, fire roasted tomatoes, aromatic herbs, a spicy pepper, and vegetables until irresistibly succulent. The aroma in the kitchen is divine!
While the lamb rests, the herbs and scotch bonnet pepper are removed from the sauce before it is blitzed in a high-speed blender until smooth and silky.
To finish off this hearty and elegantly tender dish, the shanks are served on a bed of creamy, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, then bathed in the silky, flavour packed sauce.
Pair with your favourite vegetables and a full-bodied red wine.
This is definitely a recipe you will want to keep in your back pocket, to impress even your most discerning guests!
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Ingredients
- Lamb shanks
- Paprika
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Nutmeg
- Avocado oil
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Carrot
- Celery stalks
- Garlic cloves
- Scotch bonnet pepper
- Red wine
- Chicken stock
- Crushed tomatoes
- Tomato paste
Herb bouquet (tied together with butchers’ twine)
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Bay leaves
- Cinnamon sticks
For Serving
- Mashed potatoes
- Fresh thyme leaves, optional
- Fresh rosemary, optional
See recipe card for instructions.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F
Season the Shanks
Pat the lamb shanks dry with paper towels, then season with paprika, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Sear the Lamb Shanks
Heat a 6-quart Rondeau over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of avocado oil until it shimmers. Sear the lamb shanks in 2 batches until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove lamb onto a rack over a sheet pan and drain excess fat from the pot.
Make the Sauce
Lower the heat to medium low. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the same pot. Next, add the onion, cook for 3 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, garlic, and scotch bonnet pepper. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the onion is tender and sweet.
Add the red wine, chicken stock, crushed tomato, tomato paste, and herb bouquet. Stir to combine.
Place the browned lamb shanks into the sauce, so they are mostly submerged.
Transfer to Oven to Braise
Raise the heat to medium-high to bring the liquid to just a light bubble. Turn off the heat, cover, and transfer to the oven for 2 ½ hours.
Remove the lid, then return to the oven for another 30 minutes. Check to ensure lamb meat is very tender – if not, cover and cook for another 20 minutes. The goal is very tender meat that is still holding onto bone.
Remove lamb onto plate cover and keep warm. Remove herb bouquet and scotch bonnet pepper.
Blend the Sauce
Carefully pour the sauce into a high-speed blender and blend until silky smooth. Alternatively place in a narrower deep pot and use an immersion blender.
Taste, then season with salt and pepper as required.
Serve
Serve over mashed potatoes with your favourite sides and a full-bodied red wine.
Watch how this recipe was made here.
Equipment
This Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks in Tomato Sauce was made in the Hestan Culinary Thomas Keller Insignia™ Rondeau on the Hestan Dual Fuel Range. Proud Hestan and Hestan Culinary Ambassador. Opinions in this post are my own.
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If you get the chance to try this Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks in Tomato Sauce recipe please drop back and leave us a comment and rating here. We would love to know what you think! Thanks Elaine & James 🙂
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 lamb shanks 10-12 ounces per shank
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- freshly grated nutmeg a light dusting or ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced (approximately 1 cup)
- 1 large carrot peeled, large diced (approximately 1 cup)
- 2 celery stalks large diced (approximately 1 cup)
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper whole with a small slice in the middle
- 2 cups red wine full bodied
- 2 cups chicken stock low sodium (or water)
- 28 oz can fire roasted crushed tomatoes or just crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
Herb bouquet (tied together with butchers’ twine)
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
For Serving
- Mashed potatoes
- Fresh thyme leaves optional
- Fresh rosemary optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
Season the Shanks
- Pat the lamb shanks dry with paper towels, then season with paprika, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Sear the Lamb Shanks
- Heat a 6-quart Rondeau over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of avocado oil until it shimmers. Sear the lamb shanks in 2 batches until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove lamb onto a rack over a sheet pan and drain excess fat from the pot.
Make the Sauce
- Lower the heat to medium low. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the same pot. Add the onion, cook for 3 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, garlic, and scotch bonnet pepper. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the onion is tender and sweet.
- Add the red wine, chicken stock, crushed tomato, tomato paste, and herb bouquet. Stir to combine.
- Place the browned lamb shanks into the sauce, so they are mostly submerged.
Transfer to Oven to Braise
- Raise the heat to medium-high to bring the liquid to just a light bubble. Turn off the heat, cover, and transfer to the oven for 2 ½ hours.
- Remove the lid, then return to the oven for another 30 minutes. Check to ensure lamb meat is very tender – if not, cover and cook for another 20 minutes. The goal is very tender meat that is still holding onto bone.
- Remove lamb onto plate cover and keep warm. Remove herb bouquet and scotch bonnet pepper.
Blend the Sauce
- Carefully pour the sauce into a high-speed blender and blend until silky smooth. Alternatively place in a narrower deep pot and use an immersion blender.
- Taste, then season with salt and pepper as required.
Serve
- Serve over mashed potatoes with your favourite sides and a full-bodied red wine.
- Please take a moment to rate this recipe below. We would greatly appreciate it!
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