Red Wine Lamb Shanks Slow Cooker Jamie Oliver

After I got my first slow cooker I started googling recipes (of course).

I saw lots of recipes for delectable-looking lamb shanks.

On the cooking channel Jamie Oliver was making 'tender, fall apart lamb shanks'.

I wanted lamb shanks….. Not that I had ever eaten or even seen a lamb shank, but I wanted them.

Now there are two kinds of meat that I like that I cannot get in France: hams for roasting and lamb shanks.

I can get many, many different hams meant for slicing and using in sandwiches but none for a Baked Ham for Christmas.

There are many different cuts of lamb available but not shanks.

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Lamb Shanks in Red Wine, Slow Cooker

Lamb Shanks, Slow Cooker

The slow cooker does a wonderful job on flavorful lamb shanks, rendering them fall-apart tender.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 7 hours, 40 minutes
Total Time: 8 Hours
Yield: 2 servings 1x
Category: Lamb
Method: Slow Cooker

2 lamb shanks
1 red onion, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs tomato paste
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh rosemary or 2 tsp dried
2 tbs tapioca
1/2 cup (4oz, 120ml) chicken stock
1 cup (8oz, 240ml) red wine
1 tbs olive oil
optional – if needed: 2 tsp instant tapioca or 1 tbs cornstarch

Heat 1 tbs oil in a large skillet. Add lamb shanks and brown on all sides, Remove to slow cooker.
Add onions, celery, garlic, to skillet and sauté briefly.
Add tomato paste and sauté briefly.
Add stock, wine and heat to simmering, stirring to combine.
Add herbs and tapioca to slow cooker.
Pour contents of skillet over lamb.
Cover and cook, low heat, 7 1/2 – 8 hours, turning shanks half way through cooking time
Check 30 minutes before serving and if sauce needs to be thickened add 2 tsp instant tapioca or 1 tbs cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbs water.
When ready, remove to a platter and serve.

Notes

Our lamb shanks were large – a bit more than enough for 2 people, but not enough for 3. Leftovers for lunch.

Keywords: lamb shanks, slow cooker

Two more things to be grateful to Steve the Butcher for. Not only does he offer lamb shanks they are reasonably priced. Never having seen or eaten them before I ordered four. One per person is more than enough so there are two more in the freezer.

Lucky us.

Once again I disobey the slow cooker police and turn these half-way through cooking time. The sauce didn't cover them but I didn't want to add more so I opted for the quick turn to snuggle the top into the red wine sauce.

I debated over whether to serve them with polenta of mashed potatoes.

Mashed potatoes won.

This is what they look liked from the butcher.

I like this type of packaging. The French call it 'sous vide' which, I think is technically incorrect. It is vacuum-packed and likely appropriate for sous vide cooking.

Frankly, I don't dare what they call it….. I like it so much better than the Styrofoam containers that are 5 times the size of the contents.

While still plastic, the size alone must make it more environmentally friendly.

In other news….

There is no other news. The days have been depressingly similar, gray, cold, and damp.

I hate getting up in the dark but we don't see daylight before 8:30 and the dogs are ready to take the tour of the neighborhood long before that.

I think it's called winter.

I shall now try to be grateful that we don't have snow.