Braised Lamb Shanks and Polenta

I didn't realize this, but I have had this blog for over a year now! I can't believe how quickly time flies, it's INSANE!

I really hope I have improved and that I'm growing as a cook/baker every time I am in the kitchen.  I do feel like I have done a lot of the same techniques over and over again, but I have also taking a few leaps into realms I've never touched or thought I would step into.  For example, the other day I tried some Macarons.  Sorry I don't have pictures because they came out horrible.  But, at least I can say I've tried and I will try and try again until I get them right!

Anndd, this post isn't even about macarons.  It's about braised lamb shanks and polenta.

I have really fallen in love with polenta.  I'm not that great at making it yet but it's pretty cheap and makes for nice leftovers. And man, oh man, lamb! I love lamb, especially when it's this tender and good!  I braised for about 3 hours or so while waiting for my friends to come over.  It was definitely a delicious comforting meal.  We also sauteed up some orange and yellow bell peppers since they were on sale.

Braising is such a great technique because you get insanely tender pieces of meat that are pretty cheap.  It takes a while but it is worth the time.  And the nice thing is, you barely have to watch it, you probably don't even have to glance at it once, but I like to, just to be safe.  It's so good!

Here's my recipe for these lamb shanks, thanks for stopping by!

Braised Lamb Shanks
-3 lamb shanks It was about 2.5 lbs
-1 750ml bottle of red wine, can be cheap or a really nice bottle
-1 Tbsp olive oil
-1 medium onion, diced
-2 carrots, peeled and diced
-1 celery stalk, cleaned and diced
-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
-1 bay leaf
-3 garlic cloves, crushed
Salt and freshly cracked pepper

1. Season lamb shanks with a generous amount of salt.  Add pepper to taste
2. Sear the lamb shanks on all sides in a large skillet over medium high heat, until browned on all sides. Set aside lamb in another plate/bowl. Pour in a little bit of the red wine to the hot pan and deglaze it, scraping up all the delicious bits on the bottom of the pan and pour over lamb shanks. It should only take a couple minutes, you don't want to evaporate all the red wine
3. Add oil to a large pot and over medium low heat.  Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and a couple pinches of salt and sweat for 6-8 minutes.
4. While sweating the vegetables, with a wooden spoon, lightly hit the rosemary to help it release its oils.  Add the rosemary and bay leaf to the pot and cook for a minute.
5. Place the lamb shanks in the pot, including the wine you deglazed with.  And pour in the red of the bottle of wine until the lamb is fully covered.  If the shanks are not covered with liquid, add water.
6. Cover with lid and turn heat to low and let it go for 3 hours, checking occasionally to see if it needs more liquid and stir.  Check tenderness with a fork.  Serve over anything that soaks up liquid like mashed potatoes, polenta, rice. Delicious!