I am going a bit casserole crazy this week…this is partially because we did lots of casseroles when filming the Divine and Delicious TV show but also because this freezing cold weather we have been having in Sydney lends itself very well to a slow cooked, warming casserole.

There is nothing in life quite like a fork tender lamb shank. The slow cooking on relatively low heat means all the connective tissues in the shank break down and all you are left with is gorgeously tender meat literally falling off the bone. My recipe souses the shanks in a deep rich tomato sauce flavoured with smoked paprika, coriander, and rosemary. Because the sauce is so delicious, I would feel incomplete if I didn’t serve these shanks atop a small mountain of creamy garlic mash. Pillowy and flavoursome and oh so decadent!

For shank lovers and lamb lovers of any sort…enjoy and happy cooking xx

Lamb Shanks with creamy garlic mash

2 tbspns olive oil

4 large lamb shanks – ideally “Frenched” which means the butcher has trimmed the bone short and removed the excess fat
2 onions, diced
4 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tbspns ground coriander seeds

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 tbspn tomato paste
½ cup of red wine
400 g can diced tomatoes
1 cup beef stock
2 sprigs rosemary
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.

Heat the oil in a large ovenproof casserole dish over medium heat and brown the shanks n all sides.  I find the best results come from using a cast iron casserole pot.

Remove the shanks from the pot and set aside (an old ice cream container or tuperware is best for this and doesn’t create more pots for washing).

Add the onions to the pan and cook until soft. Add the garlic, coriander seeds, and smoked paprika and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half and then the tomatoes and their juice, the stock, and rosemary. Bring to the boil and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes.

Return the shanks to the pot and submerge in the liquid. Season to taste

Cover tightly and transfer to the oven for 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender.

Serves 4.

Creamy Garlic Mash

Ingredients:

5 large potatoes
50g butter
3/4 cup thickened cream
2 cloves garlic peeled
salt and white pepper to taste

1. Peel and boil the potatoes and garlic until the potatoes are cooked.
2.  drain, and mash the potatoes while adding cubes of the butter, chopped up
3. add the thickened cream and continue to mash
4. Season with salt and white pepper

Happy cooking all xx