Braised Lamb Shank

Preparation: 35 Minutes • Cooking: 2 Hours 30 Minutes

Serves 8

For the lamb shanks
8 lamb hind shanks
80 g (2¾ oz) flour
2 tablespoons groundnut oil
2 shallots
1 onion
1 carrot
1 bouquet garni
150 ml (5 fl oz) white wine
1.5 litres (2¾ pints) brown veal or
lamb stock
Guérande sea salt and ground pepper

For the glazed vegetables
1 bunch of carrots
1 bunch of salad onions
1 bunch of turnips
80 g (2¾ oz) butter
50 g (1¾ oz) caster sugar
salt

To assemble
160 g (5¾ oz) broad beans in their pods,
podded, steamed and skins removed
½ bunch of chervil

Prepare the lamb shanks: preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F) Gas mark 3.
Season and flour the shanks, then brown them evenly all over in a frying
pan with the groundnut oil. Set them aside.

Dice the shallots, onion and carrot to make a mirepoix and sweat in the oil
remaining in the pan. Place the mirepoix and the lamb shanks in a flameproof
casserole dish with the bouquet garni, then deglaze the frying pan with the
white wine. Reduce by half, then add the stock. Bring to the boil, pour over
the meat and cook in the oven, covered, for 2–2 ½ hours.

Check that the shanks are cooked, then take them out and strain the sauce
through a chinois. Return the shanks to the sauce so they don’t dry out.

Prepare the glazed vegetables: wash and dry the carrots, onions and turnips.
Cook each vegetable separately in a saucepan over a medium heat, with a
third of the butter, just enough water to cover and a pinch of sugar. Season
with salt and place a disc of baking paper cut to the size of the saucepan on top.
The vegetables are cooked once the water has evaporated and the sugar and butter
have reached a syrupy consistency, glazing the vegetables and giving them shine and colour.

Assemble the plates: reduce the sauce if necessary to a coating consistency.
Arrange the lamb shank, glazed vegetables and beans on the plate. Coat the
shank with the sauce, then garnish with a few small sprigs of chervil.

Recipe extracted from Institut Paul Bocuse Gastronomique. Available here.