Braised Lamb Shanks

I love that my friends tell me that they are tired of looking at old recipes! My friend Francisca just told me on Saturday that she couldn't look at the tart recipe any longer, I love it. I dug through my archives and found this recipe and picture that I haven't posted and decided this would be my next post! I know it's not the best summer dish, but living in Portland you do have those cold days now and again, so here is the recipe to welcome the rain. I would recommend polenta or my delicious Mashed Potatoes for the side dish, enjoy!

Braised Lamb Shanks

6 lamb shanks, well trimmed
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more as needed
2 yellow onions, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup full-bodied red wine
2 cups diced canned tomatoes, drained
2 1/2 cups beef stock
2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
1 tsp. minced fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 Tbs. red wine vinegar
Minced fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

Preheat an oven to 400ºF.

Generously season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper. In a large
oval Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the 1/4 cup vegetable oil.
Working in batches, brown the shanks on all sides, 5 to 10 minutes
total, adding more oil to the pan if needed. Transfer to a platter.
Pour off the excess fat from the pan.

Add the onions, celery and carrots to the pan and cook, stirring
occasionally, until the vegetables are golden and translucent, 5 to 8
minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from
the heat and add the wine. Return the pan to medium-high heat and
bring the liquid to a simmer, stirring to scrape up the browned bits.
Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the
tomatoes, stock, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves and lamb shanks and bring
to a boil. Cover the pan, transfer to the oven and cook until the meat
is almost falling off the bone, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Using tongs,
transfer the shanks to a large serving bowl and cover loosely with
aluminum foil.

Meanwhile, remove the bay leaves from the cooking liquid and discard.
Skim off the fat. Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth. Stir
in the vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Pour some of the sauce
over the shanks and garnish with parsley. Transfer the remaining sauce
to a sauceboat.

*Recipe from Williams Sonoma