first lamb shanks of autumn

Do a search for "lamb" in this blog, or - better still - click on the tag for "lamb". You'll see that I'm something of a fan of the little woolly darlings and their tasty tasty meat. And, given that I can grab a pair of shanks at Whole Foods at a fairly moderate price, I'm all-too glad to cook a bit of lamb on a semi-regular basis.

Lamb shanks, in my view, benefit nicely from a good gentle braise. A few hours in the oven? Not a meal for warm summers. With the return of cool (and rather wet yesterday) weather, and with an arrival home from Peoria not too late in the afternoon, I set to work on making us some shanks for dinner.

Simple process: season the shanks and brown them lightly in a skillet. Remove to a roasting pan. Use the same skillet to lightly saute some onion, garlic, carrot, and dried mushrooms along with seasonings. Deglaze with white wine and chicken broth. Add the vegetables and liquid to the lamb. Pop it in the oven and go do other stuff.

Closer to dinner time I produced a garlicky cauliflower puree and some Brussels sprouts. I held the lamb warm but reduced the strained braising liquid down to a thick, rich sauce.



Plating done, I joined Conrad in the living room where we sat by the window, looking out on the city, sipping a Minervois, and having the first lamb of the fall season.