Lamb shanks

I don't often buy lamb. It's fair to say I'm a bit of a lamb snob. I'll admit it.

I'm a farm girl - I grew up helping Dad kill and butcher our own sheep. I unknowingly became accustomed to eating the best lamb, and I find that supermarket lamb just does not cut it. It's not as tender, it's not as tasty, it does not look as good (I'm often skeptical whether "lamb" in the supermarket is actually lamb).

Whenever I go home my Dad makes sure I head back with a suitcase full of delicious homegrown and home killed lamb. (Fitting it in my miniature freezer is always a challenge but I have found that, where there is a will, there is a way).

The other day I had a real treat - lamb shanks. Yum.

I wanted to try something different, so I asked Google for some ideas. I found this recipe from Jax Hamilton (of MasterChef fame).

Naturally I changed it a bit, so here's my adaptation of the recipe, and what I did.

2 lamb shanks
Flour for dusting, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 springs of rosemary, picked, chopped
160ml red wine
120ml balsamic vinegar
2 T brown sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C. Dust the lamb shanks with the seasoned flour.

Fry the lamb shanks in the olive oil until they are well browned. Remove and add the garlic and rosemary for a couple of minutes.

Put everything into a casserole dish. Cover with a lid or tinfoil.

Cook for about one and a half hours. Check the lamb shanks - they should be falling off the bone and beautifully tender.


I served my shanks with mashed carrot and pumpkin, peas and blanched spinach. (I love lamb and spinach, I think they are such great friends).

It's fair to say, the result was delicious. The right balance of sweet and savoury. Meaty and tasty. Everything you want out of a winter time meal. Topped off with a hearty glass of red wine, it was wonderful.