A Slow Cooker Recipe for Braised Lamb Shanks with Garlic and Rosemary

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This recipe should be tried by any of you who enjoy lamb. It comes from the book from Slow Cooker Cooking and the recipe below appears exactly as it was written by its developer, Lora Brody. I'd like to suggest several changes that I think will make a good recipe great. For maximum flavor, brown the lamb shanks and vegetables in olive oil before you put them in the slow cooker. I also think you'll also want more liquid for cooking the lamb shanks. I suggest you double the amount of wine used to braise the shanks, and, at the very end of cooking, strain any liquid remaining in the pot to a small pan to which another cup of wine and a cup of beef stock have been added. The sauce will have wonderful flavor if you reduce this stock/sauce by half and use it to moisten the lamb shanks. My biggest problem with the recipe regards the amount of time the shanks are cooked. The recommended 12 hours is way to much and the meat will literally shred off the bone if you cook the shanks for that length of time. Try cooking the lamb on HIGH for 3 hours, then on LOW for another 3 and I think you'll be happier with the results. This is a wonderfully flavorful dish and it is a great example of the best of peasant cooking. I served ours with polenta, but noodles or rice would also work well. I hope you'll give the recipe a try. It is a perfect dish to serve on a wet or snowy day. Enjoy!

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks with Garlic and Rosemary...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Lora Brody's  Slow Cooker Cooking

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 heaping tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons kosher or coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 to 6 pounds lamb shanks, not trimmed of fat
1 large, firm head garlic (about 15 cloves), separated into cloves, each crushed and peeled (see Note)
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and cut in 1/4-inch slices
Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
2 heaping tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

Directions:
1) Mix red wine, mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and place in insert of a 5 to 6-quart slow cooker. Layer shanks in the insert so they fit. Scatter remaining ingredients around and on shanks. Cover and cook on HIGH for 6 hours. Use tongs to reverse the position of shanks, top to bottom. Reduce setting to LOW and cook for an additional 6 hours.
2) Use a slotted spoon to transfer shanks to a serving platter. Skim fat from cooking juices, taste, and add salt and pepper, if needed. Pour the juices over the shanks, and serve. Yield: 6 servings.

                    

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