Braised Lamb Shanks

I promise, this Cooking Light recipe was actually really easy. You just need a lot of time at home to wait for it to braise. (For me, it was a good Sunday night activity.)

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Recipe Notes

I cut this recipe in half. I don't see how you can possibly fit four lamb shanks that large in one Dutch oven! Plus, lamb shanks can get expensive at the butcher counter....fast! Cooking Light suggests serving this over polenta, but I served mine over Yukon gold mashed potatoes and it was fabulous.

Nutritional Information (per 1 shank and 3/4 c. sauce)
254 calories - 11.4 g. fat - 25.9 g. protein - 3.5 g. fiber

Ingredients

• Four, 12-oz. lamb shanks, trimmed
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 c. dry red wine
• Two, 14.5-oz. cans petite diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat with cooking spray.

2. Sprinkle lamb with salt & pepper and add to pan. Cook 4 minutes on each side until browned.

3. Remove lamb from pan to a plate. Add minced garlic and saute 15 seconds. Add red wine and cook for 2 minutes, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in tomatoes and cook 2 minutes more.

4. Return lamb to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for one hour on medium-low. Turn lamb over and cook for one additional hour until meat is done and very tender.

5. Place lamb on a plate and cover loosely with foil.

6. Skim fat from surface of sauce (there likely won't be much). Increase heat and bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes or until thickened.

7. Return lamb to pan and cook 4 minutes or until lamb is thoroughly heated. Stir in parsley and serve.

Even though our dinner was great, we think that Sadie was the big winner last night. We gave her a lamb shank bone to work on after we were finished eating. Below is a picture of her dining on it on her "placemat".