We have make a roast leg of lamb with roasted potatoes for Easter Sunday dinner. This year I decided to make something a little different – lamb shanks with a sweet potato mash. It turned out fantastic. The beauty is that it does not need the monitoring and timing that a roast requires.

This recipe is adapted from https://www.seriouseats.com/fall-apart-lamb-shanks-braised-with-mustard-and-mint-recipe. Serious eats is a great place for inspiration. You can choose the level of complexity and detail that suits you when trying out a recipe.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 lamb shanks (400 gms each)
• 3 medium shallots, chopped fine
• 6 medium cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 20 stalks fresh mint (used in 2 parts – one during cooking and the other before serving)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Putting it together

Preheat the oven to 175 C.

Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over high heat. The pan should be wide enough to house all the shanks, side by side.

Season the shanks with salt and pepper and sear until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes total.

Add the shallots and garlic to the pan, and stir into the oil. This should take about 10 secs, so that the garlic does not burn.

Add the wine, and cook off the alcohol for 1-2 minutes. Add the vinegar, broth, Worcestershire sauce and mustard.

Use a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. These add tons of flavour to the gravy. Cover the top of the ingredients with half of fresh mint. I used the whole stalks with leaves.

Cover the pan with a foil or cover and transfer to oven. Cook until the meat is falling off the bone, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Carefully remove shanks to a serving dish and keep covered to keep them warm.

Cook down the gravy on a stove top to reduce it to 1 1/2 cups. Skim off the fat with a large spoon.

Season with salt and pepper. Roughly chop the fresh mint leaves. Serve lamb ladled with sauce, sprinkled with mint.