Curried Lamb Shanks

LAMB SHANK BRAISED WITH CURRY SPICES AND HERBS. SERVED OVER WILTED SPINACH AND SAFFRON BASMATI RICE.

Braising has to be one of the greatest cooking methods ever invented, letting you turn the cheapest cut of meat into something juicy and fall-off-the-bone succulent. And not only does the broth flavor the meat as it simmers, the meat gives the broth a velvety, intensely savory texture as the gelatin melts into it. For this dish, I decided to take caramelized onions past the standard golden-brown stage and into deeply sweet and smoky dark brown territory. Together with the natural sweetness of the onions and the caramelization of the lamb shanks in the oven, this gave the dish a complex sweetness (maybe even sophisticated!) without a grain of added sugar. And it was also the perfect complement to the earthy spices we threw in with the lamb. You could just as easily use beef chuck or pork shoulder and belly. Hope you give this braised dish a try! – Boo

Oven: 475 F, 30-40 minutes
Difficulty: 

Ingredients:

• 4 lamb shanks
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• Spices
  1.5 ts smoked paprika
  0.75 ts curry powder
  0.5 ts turmeric
  0.5 ts cumin seeds
  0.5 ts fennel seeds
  0.25 ts ginger powder
  0.25 ts cardamom
  0.25 ts dried mint
  pinch cinnamon
• 2 tb butter
• 2 tb flour
• Herbs
  1 bay leaf
  1 sprig rosemary
  1 sprig thyme
• Braising liquid
  1.5 c chicken broth
  0.33 c red wine
  2 tb balsamic vinegar
  1.25 ts salt
  0.5 ts black pepper
• (optional) Garnish
  cilantro, chopped
  sumac

Directions:

1. In a roasting pan, drizzle olive oil over shanks. Roast on top rack until browned, 15-20 minutes per side. Meanwhile, prepare onions. Set aside lamb shanks after browning on both sides.
2. In a large pot, stir onions in vegetable oil over medium-low heat until dark golden-brown, 40-45 minutes.
3. Add spices into pot. Toast, 2 minutes.
4. Stir butter into pot until melted. Stir in flour to coat evenly.
5. Stir herbs and braising liquid into pot.
6. Add lamb shanks, and simmer over medium-low heat until tender, 2.5-3 hours, basting occasionally.
7. Serve, and garnish as desired.