When most people think about lamb, they picture Ireland or Australia. However, when I think about lamb, I immediately picture the Basque Country. I picture grazing sheep scattered along the rolling green hills. I picture my family’s farm with the multitude of sheep being milked to make cheese. When the Basques immigrated to the US, most were already shepherds and brought the trade along with them to the west. Hence, the reason for lamb being so loved here in the US by Basque descendants.
Most people think that lamb can be too gamey, so it must be paired with mint to help mask the flavor. However, I believe that the lamb’s flavor should always shine through. It also helps if you are able to buy local lamb, as it tends to have a slightly milder flavor. This simple braised lamb recipe highlights the flavor of the meat, but accompanies it with a delicious decadent sauce.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 small to medium lamb shanks (about 1.2 lbs each)
- 1 medium to large yellow onion (medium dice)
- 3 large carrots (cut into 2 inch pieces)
- 2 celery stocks (cut into small pieces)
- 5-6 cloves of minced garlic (I LOVE GARLIC!)
- (Optional): 1 cup of diced leek
- 1 bouquet garnis: 5 sprigs of thyme, 1 sprig rosemary, 2 bay leaves
- 2 Tbsp of tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil
- 3/4 of bottle of dry red wine
- 2 cups of beef broth, plus more if needed to thin sauce
- salt, pepper and granulated garlic to taste
RECIPE
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Prepare all vegetables as stated above.
- Pat lamb shanks dry with a paper towel. This helps create a better crust when searing the meat in the pan.
- Season lamb generously with salt, pepper and granulated garlic. You can just do salt and pepper if you like, but I personally like the flavor the granulated garlic adds to the meat.
- Heat a heavy bottom pan, like a dutch oven, over medium-high heat and add in the oil. When the pan is hot enough, the oil should shimmer.
- Gently place the lamb in the pot and begin to sear ALL sides, and I mean ALL sides.
- Once the lamb is nicely browned, take it out and place on a separate plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add in the onion, carrots, celery and leeks (optional). Season with a pinch of salt and let them sweat and begin to brown.
- At this point, you should have some “fond” at the bottom of the pan, scrape that delicious flavor when stirring your veggies!
- Once the veggies have begun to soften and now have a bit more color, make a well in the center of the pot, add your garlic and cook for about 1-2 minutes. I personally love garlic so I always add a ton, but you can put as little or as much as your heart desires! 😊 However, I know how tempting it is to use “jar-lic”, please, for the love of food, DO NOT use it…it can really mess with the flavor profile. Of course, if that is all you have, then use it, but know that it would taste SOOO much better with fresh! I will step off my soap box now….
- Once you can smell the heavenly garlic, (lol!), make another well and add in the tomato paste to toast it a bit…LITTLE TIP: if you use canned tomato paste, you can put the rest in ice cube trays and freeze them! I have also put some in a freezer bag, flattened it and divided into pieces that easily break off. It is a great way to reduce waste in the kitchen! Anyway, lets get back to the recipe…
- Once that is toasted and mixed in, add the wine to deglaze the pan. Let that cook down for 3-5 minutes and then add in the beef broth. If you do not want to add the wine, you can use beer or if you want it non-alcoholic, just add in the same amount of beef broth as you would the wine. When cooking, all of the alcohol is cooked off so it is just the flavor that resides.
- Add in your bouquet garnis and nestle the lamb into the mixture. Most of the meat should be covered.
- Cover the pot and place it in the oven to cook for 2 & 1/2 hours or the meat is falling off the bone/fork tender. It may need a little more or a little less depending on the size of your lamb.
- Once done, ladle out the liquid and strain into a saucepan, but you do not HAVE to strain the veggies out. I will usually take the carrots out because I like to eat them separately, after they have been braising. You can leave the rest of the veggies in the sauce and then blend it with an immersion blender to thicken the sauce. If you are gluten-free, this is a great way to thicken any sauce without adding flour!!
- Serve the lamb over a bed of mashed potatoes, along with some veggies (like roasted asparagus, yum!) and cover with the sauce. Top with chives or parsley.
ENJOY!!!
CHECK OUT THE VIDEO OF THIS RECIPE ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM!
Basque Eats by Bri 