lamb shanks. ideas please

Hi, we had some of our sheep done into meat... ... Just wondering what is the best thing to do with the lamb shanks, I love shanks when at restaurants but have no idea the best way to cook them myself. Thanks for any ideas! ! ! oh if it makes any differents the sheep where 1&2 yrs old.

i put carrots, onions, garlic, in roasting dish, along with the lamb shanks, then i make up a concoction of sauces, sweet chilli, mint, soy, tomato, worchester a little brown sugar and a splash of balsamic vinegar, i pour this over the lamb shanks add a little water and cook them in the oven at about 150 till tender as, turn them over a few times during the cooking.

Cook in crock pot with beef stock instead. Worchester sauce, tomato sauce, garlic, onions, carrots, sea salt, cracked pepper and white sugar. Add couple of sprigs of thyme too. Once cooked remove some liquid into a pot, add some red wine and reduce down.

Serve shanks on mashed potato with sauce drizzled over.

Lois Daysh has a really nice recipe for them done in red wine with raisins. I am not near my cook books right now, but from what I recall, you brown them in butter then brown some onion, add red wine to cover (can make it up with a little stock or water if you don't have enough red wine) then simmer with raisins for about 1. 5 to 2 hours.
Serve with mashed potatoes and a green or two.

yummmm thanks guys you have given me great ideas now i cant wait to cook them... ...

Casseroles, slow cooked is best. If lamb you can roast them, but they are best slow cooked in some sauce/casserole type recipe.

nice easy cheats one, brown shanks and place in crock pot, saute off onions and carrots and tip on top. tip over 1 jar of Rogan josh sauce, and wash out jar with little water. Cover and cook on low 8 hours. Serve with rice and sprinkle chopped fresh coriander and fresh chapti's MMMmmmmmmmmm... ... . not too spicy but very tasty.

SECRET LAMB SHANKS

Chef's Note:
I promise you this isthe easiest, most fool proof way to prepare one of the most aromatic and tasty winter dishes designed to warm a New Zealand home. Even the neighbours will be smelling it and knocking on your door with a pen and paper for this recipe!

Out of all the restaurants I've worked in when winter comes there's always been one thing on the menu that we could never prepare enough of. The butcher could not supply us with unless ordered a week in advance and then the dish was always sold out half way through the dinner service anyway. And that's the story with Lamb Shanks ! !
For this popular dish you are going to need to do the following :

Step 1 Get them Crispy and brown! ! (This is where flavour comes from)
4 Lamb Shanks (Ask your butcher for the Hind Shank -- they are way more succulent)
4 Tbl Spoons Sugar (Brown Preferably)
1 Onion (Red Preferably)
1 Pinch of Salt
Preheat your oven to 220 ° Celsius
Slice your onions in thick rings and lay these at the bottom of a roasting tray. (This is to get your Shanks to stand upright on the tray while they cook).
Sprinkle the shanks liberally with the sugar and salt and the onions will absorb the lovely juices that run out.
You want to cook these until Golden brown roughly half an hour.

Step 2 Finishing touches …( Our Secretaka the twist)
You need your
4Crispy shanks, lie them down flat in the tray (keep the onions)
4: Cloves of Garlic peeled
3Large Carrots cut into chunky "rustic" pieces
1Stick of Celery cut into similar sized pieces (smaller than the carrots)
2Bay leaves,
4Peppercorns,
2: Tblspns Paprika,
½ Tblspn Cinnamon,
2Tblspn Cumin,
1 Tblspn Nutmeg,
½ Tblspn Salt.
1 Whole Tomato roughly chopped
250 ml's red cooking wine
250 ml's Chicken stock
1 Whole Orange quartered including rind
A little water to cover them completely, tinfoil over and into the oven for 3 hours they go ! !

Once cooked, you'll notice the orange has penetrated and tenderized the meat beautifully so be careful as you remove these from the liquid and onto another tray. Strain the liquid keeping the carrot, celery and onion to serve on the side. Now boil away the Remaining liquid in a pot until around half the liquid remains. This should havea nice "sheen" and it will have thickened slightly to a very aromatic gravy ! !

I do mine as a casserole.

Put shaks in an oven dish, do 50/50 with stock and red wine.

Add 2-3 bay leaves

2-3tbsp tuscan seasoning

Chopped winter vegies (potatoes, carrot, parsnip, pumpkin).

Cook for 2-3 hours slowly.

Yum!

These looks awesome... http://www.jamieoliv-
er.com/recipes/lamb-recipes/in-
credible-baked-lamb-shanks

Jamie Olivers recipe is awesome have done it many times. Easy clean up too as the shanks are in their own little foil packages with all the wine and vege juices inside YUM!

Tonight I ate the most delicious Lamb Shanks I have ecer had.
The aroma from the cooking was just so enticing to eat well lol

With particular thanks to petal1955.
I used ideas from the recipes above and my nodified version is:

If you would like to impress a few guests or the family try this out.

4x Lamb Shanks
Place side by side in an oven dish big enough to accomodate them with plenty of space for liquids and a bit deeper than they are tall.
I used a large rectangular oven dish.

Sprinkle over 1 teaspoon Cinnamon, a few whole peppercorns , fresh ground pepper and a fairly finely chopped onion. Pop a couple of Bay Leaves in either end.

Pour over 250 mls or 1 cup red wine, 1 cup of stock or a Chicken Oxe in a cup of boiling water, and one cup more of water untul almost completely covering the shanks.

Most importantly:
One whole orange cut into 8 wedges and de-seeded. Leave the skin on. Tuck these wedges in between and around the shanks.

Cover with foil and put into a moderate oven for two and a half to three hours, turning the shanks halfway through cooking time. Add more water if gravy getting to low.

Remove from oven and put shanks carefully onto a plate.

Thicken the juices by siirring in flour and water mixed to a smooth paste.
Place gravy back in oven to bubble and thicken.

I served mine with broccolu, beans and Perlas potatoes.

V