Since we have entered the festive season, I thought I’d share with you a recipe that’s become a bit of a tradition in my household on Christmas Day – slow-cooked lamb shanks with mashed potatoes and peas. I’ve been cooking it for years because it is delicious and satisfying but best of all, I can prep it early in the morning and leave it alone for a few hours.
I can’t lay claim to the recipe though, as it was one of a number of dishes in a little booklet that came with a Breville Slow Cooker I bought many years ago. Trust me, it is the tastiest lamb shank recipe I’ve tasted!
Below is the recipe for the shanks, I assume you know how to make mashed potatoes and how to defrost and boil peas, but I will just say, finishing off the mash in a food processor with cream and butter makes all the difference!
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 large French-cut lamb shanks, trimmed of fat
2 medium red onions, sliced
400 g button mushrooms, sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 x 400g cans tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup tomato paste
1/3 cup sun-dried tomato pesto
1 cup red wine
4 beef stock cubes, crumbled
Fresh rosemary, chopped
METHOD
Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add lamb shanks 2-3 at a time, cook over medium heat until well browned. Drain on a paper towel.
Add onion to the non-stick pan, cook until onion is soft. Stir in mushrooms and garlic, cook for 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, pesto, wine, sherry, stock cube, and rosemary, stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Place shanks and tomato misfire in the crockpot. Cover with lid and cook on LOW 8-10 hours or HIGH 4-6 hours.
Serve hot accompanied with mashed potatoes, and peas.
NOTE – the original recipe called for 1/3 cup sweet sherry, but I have never added sherry into mine and it still tastes amazing.