Red Wine Braised Lamb Shanks
Fall-off-the-bone tender lamb shanks slowly braised in red wine, garlic, and rosemary, served over silky mashed potatoes.
Some dinners are about speed and convenience. This is not one of them. This is the dinner you make on a cold Sunday afternoon when the rain is tapping against the windows and you have nowhere to be for the next several hours. It is the dinner that fills the entire house with the smell of slow-cooked meat, red wine, rosemary, and garlic. It is the dinner that makes everyone who walks in the door immediately ask 'what is that smell?' in the most reverent voice imaginable. And when you finally serve it — meat sliding off the bone, glossy with a deep wine-dark sauce, sitting on a cloud of buttery mashed potatoes — it tastes like the kind of food someone with a Michelin star would charge you eighty dollars for. You will feel like a genius.
The first time I made lamb shanks, I was twenty-six and trying very hard to impress my future in-laws. I had read about a famous chef's lamb shank recipe in a magazine and decided, with the bravado of someone who had never cooked anything more complicated than spaghetti carbonara, that this would be the dish that announced me as a real adult. I bought the most expensive shanks the butcher had. I sprung for a bottle of wine I could not afford. I followed the recipe with the obsessive precision of someone defusing a bomb.
Four hours later, my future mother-in-law took her first bite, closed her eyes, and said 'oh my goodness.' My future father-in-law asked for the recipe — the first and only time he has ever asked anyone for a recipe in the entire decade I have known him. The meat was so tender it fell off the bone at the slightest touch from a fork. The sauce had reduced into this deep, glossy, almost-syrupy liquid that tasted like wine and time and patience. I went to the bathroom and cried a little, partly from relief and partly from sheer pride.
I have made this dish probably forty times since. I have made it for engagement dinners and birthday parties and quiet anniversaries at home. I have refined the technique over the years until it is essentially foolproof. The basics are: brown the shanks really, really well — like, darker than you think they should be — because that crust is the foundation of all the flavor. Build a deeply savory base of onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and tomato paste. Deglaze with a whole bottle of red wine (do not use anything you would not drink). Add enough stock to almost cover the meat. Tuck in rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves. Cover tight, slide into a 325°F oven, and forget about it for three hours.
The braising liquid does its slow magic. Tough connective tissue dissolves into gelatin. The meat becomes velvety. The vegetables collapse into the sauce. When you pull the pot out at hour three, the kitchen will smell so good it borders on indecent. You strain the sauce, reduce it on the stove until it coats the back of a spoon, and serve everything over the most buttery mashed potatoes you have ever made.
This is not a dinner you make twenty times a year. This is a dinner you make four or five times a year, on the days that matter — Christmas Eve, a birthday, the night your partner gets a promotion, or just a rainy Sunday that demands ceremony. It is worth every minute of the three hours. I promise.
What you'll need
- 014 lamb shanks (about 1 lb each)
- 02Kosher salt and black pepper
- 031/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 043 tablespoons olive oil
- 051 large yellow onion, diced
- 062 large carrots, diced
- 072 celery stalks, diced
- 088 cloves garlic, smashed
- 093 tablespoons tomato paste
- 101 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine, such as Cabernet or Syrah
- 113 cups beef or chicken stock
- 124 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 134 sprigs fresh thyme
- 142 bay leaves
- 15For the mashed potatoes: 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
- 161/2 cup heavy cream
- 176 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 18Salt and pepper
- 19Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving
How to make it
- 1
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Pat the lamb shanks completely dry with paper towels.
- 2
Season the shanks generously on all sides with salt and pepper, then dust lightly with flour, shaking off excess.
- 3
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in batches, brown the shanks on all sides until deeply golden, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
- 4
Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion, carrot, and celery to the pot and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to caramelize, about 8 minutes.
- 5
Add the smashed garlic and tomato paste. Cook, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste darkens and smells deeply savory, about 2 minutes.
- 6
Pour in the red wine and bring to a boil. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Boil for 5 minutes until reduced by about a third.
- 7
Add the stock, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves. Return the lamb shanks to the pot, along with any accumulated juices. The liquid should come about three-quarters of the way up the meat.
- 8
Cover tightly with a lid, transfer to the oven, and braise for 2.5 to 3 hours, until the meat is fork-tender and pulling away from the bone.
- 9
Meanwhile, peel and quarter the potatoes. Boil in well-salted water for 15-20 minutes until very tender. Drain.
- 10
Heat the cream and butter in the empty pot until warm. Return the potatoes and mash until smooth. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- 11
When the lamb is done, carefully transfer the shanks to a plate and tent with foil. Strain the braising liquid, discarding the solids, and return to the pot.
- 12
Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat and reduce until thickened and glossy, about 10-15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- 13
Plate by spooning a generous mound of mashed potatoes onto each plate. Top with a lamb shank and ladle the reduced sauce over the top. Garnish with parsley.
Tips from the kitchen
- 01
Browning the shanks really well is the most important step. Do not rush it.
- 02
Use a wine you would actually drink — the flavor concentrates as it reduces.
- 03
If your braising liquid does not cover three-quarters of the meat, add more stock.
- 04
Lamb shanks are even better the next day. Make ahead and gently reheat in the sauce.
- 05
Save the strained-out vegetables — pureed with a little broth, they make an incredible soup base.
- 06
For an extra-silky sauce, whisk in 2 tablespoons of cold butter at the very end.
Frequently asked
Can I use a slow cooker instead?
Yes — brown the shanks and build the base on the stovetop, then transfer everything to a slow cooker. Cook on low for 7-8 hours.
What if I cannot find lamb shanks?
Beef short ribs or osso buco are excellent substitutes with the same braising time.
Do I have to use wine?
The wine adds essential depth, but you can substitute with extra stock plus 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar for some acidity.
Can this be made ahead?
Absolutely — it is arguably better the next day. Cool completely, refrigerate, and reheat gently before serving.
What sides go with this?
Mashed potatoes are classic. Polenta, buttered noodles, or roasted root vegetables all work beautifully too.
