Baked Lamb Shanks with Leeks and Carrots

In honor of my brother's birthday today, I'm posting a recipe from the wonderful wine dinner the whole family shared in December.

This was the main course. I paired it with a rustic, but refined Rioja Reserva. It's another winning recipe from Cook with Jamie.


I made a slight goof when I prepared the recipe. Thinking it was just another braised recipe, I put all the ingredients in my Dutch oven. That was probably all right, but my mistake was to let the shanks cook longer than the recipe called for. the lamb was wonderfully cooked and crusty, but the veggies on the bottom of the pan were blackened beyond edibility. So watch things carefully so they don't get overcooked.


Baked Lamb Shanks with Leeks and Carrots
Serves 4.


6 sprigs of fresh rosemary
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
15 fresh sage leaves
2 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
Salt and pepper
4 lamb shanks, French-trimmed
12 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
2 large carrots, peeled and finely sliced
1 onion , peeled and finely sliced
1 leek, washed, halved and finely sliced
Olive oil
2 cups white wine

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pull the leaves off two sprigs of the rosemary and place them with most of the sage, the thyme and the butter in a food processor. Pulse until well-blended and season with salt and pepper.

With a knife, create a pocket between the meat and bone of each lamb shank. Divide the butter between the pockets, pushing the butter in with your fingers.

Tear off four large pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Divide the vegetables and garlic among the four sheets, creating a pile in the middle of each sheet. Rub the lamb shanks with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and place one shank on the top of each pile of vegetables. Top each with a sprig of rosemary and a few sage leaves.

Pull up the sides of the foil around each shank and pour 1/2 cup white wine into each. Gather the foil around the bone and pinch to tighten. Tear or cut excess foil off if desired.

Place the four parcels in a baking pan with the bones facing up. Bake for 2 1/2 hours. Serve immediately.