Lamb Shank — Slow Cooked Tomato Sauce

Gluten Free · Dairy Free
Pantry Staples & Ingredients

Ok so it sounds a bit complex but it really is a decadent delight. Combining three of the classic turkish ingredients - dried apricots, lamb and preserved lemon. It makes me think of middle eastern feasts under the stars.

Ingredients:

  • 2 large lamb shanks (i ask the butcher to crack them a couple of times so that i can get to the bone marrow)
  • Half a preserved lemon
  • 6 x 6" spigs of fresh rosemary
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • 1/2 cup of olive oil
  • 1.5 tbsp ground dried fennel
  • 1 tsp of cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp of salt
  • 3/4 cup of honey
  • 1 cup of un-sulfered dried apricots
  • 1/2 cup of pine nuts
  • 2 whole fennel root bulbs
  • 1 large onion
  • 3 large potatoes

Steps:

  1. Finely chop preserved lemon
  2. Remove rosemary from stems
  3. Juice the lemons
  4. Combine about half of each of the chopped preserved lemon, lemon juice and rosemary with the Lamb shanks in a zip lock bag.
  5. Seal the bag and shake gently until the shanks are coated in the mixture.
  6. Refrigerate for 8 - 24 hours.
  7. Remove the shanks from the fridge about an hour before you want to cook them
  8. Preheat the oven to 400F and put them into a roasting pan -Reserving the marinade for later!
  9. In a clean roasting pan lay out a 2' length of foil with a 2' sheet of baking parchment on top of it. (we are going to wrap up the lamb in a parcel)
  10. Combine the remaining marinade with half of the olive oil, honey and other spices: salt, dried fennel, cinnamon
  11. Thinly slice / shave the fennel
  12. Combine about 1/4 of the remaining marinade with the thinly sliced fresh fennel bulb and onion and place into the bottom of the parcel
  13. Put the lamb on top of it
  14. Pour the last of the honey / marinade mixture over the top of the lamb and make sure it is on all of the exposed surfaces.
  15. Pack the dried apricots and pine nuts around the lamp
  16. Wrap up the parcel, sealing it with the foil
  17. Place into the oven for 2.5 hours
  18. Cut each potato into 8 pieces (or 4 if the potatoes are smaller) and combine with about about 1/4 cup of olive oil and the reserved marinade (this is the marinade without the honey - from the lamb's overnight in the refrigerator)
  19. 20 mins before the lamb is done, put the potatoes into the oven.
  20. Cook the potatoes for about 40 - 45 mins or until golden brown and tender.
  21. Remove the lamb and allow to rest for 20 minutes
  22. Remove the potatoes
  23. Arrange the potatoes around the lamb and fennel and serve.
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