Lamb Shanks with Creamy Mashed Potatoes

This is proper cold-weather cooking. Slow cooked lamb shanks, rich sauce, soft vegetables and creamy mashed potatoes underneath to catch the lot.

For this recipe we use French cut lamb shanks from The Lucky Pig, cooked low and slow with red wine, beef stock, tomato paste, rosemary and vegetables until the meat is tender and almost falling off the bone.

Lamb Shanks with Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Slow cooking lamb shanks is one of the easiest ways to get a big, comforting dinner without overcomplicating things. The oven does most of the work, and by the end you’ve got tender lamb, a rich cooking sauce and mash that ties it all together.

Ingredients

• 3 French cut lamb shanks
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 1 kg potatoes, peeled
• 100 g butter
• ½ cup cream

Serves: 2–3
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 3 hours

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 150°C.
2. In a large pot or Dutch oven, add the diced onion, chopped carrots and smashed garlic.
3. Pour in the red wine and beef stock, then add the tomato paste and stir it through the liquid until well combined.
4. Place the lamb shanks on top of the vegetables, nestling them slightly into the liquid.
5. Add the rosemary sprigs around the shanks so they infuse the sauce as it cooks.
6. Cover the pot with a lid and transfer it to the oven.
7. Cook for around 3 hours, or until the lamb is very tender and starting to fall off the bone. Turn the shanks once during cooking to keep them evenly coated in the sauce.
8. While the lamb is cooking, prepare the mash. Add the peeled potatoes to a large pot of salted water and bring to the boil.
9. Cook until the potatoes are soft and easily pierced with a fork.
10. Drain well, then return the potatoes to the pot.
11. Mash until smooth, then add the butter and cream, mixing until rich and creamy.
12. To serve, spoon the mash onto plates, top with a lamb shank, and finish with plenty of the rich cooking sauce and vegetables from the pot.

Butcher’s Tip

Lamb shanks reward patience. Keep the temperature low, keep the pot covered, and give the collagen time to break down properly. If the meat is still holding tight to the bone, it just needs more time.

Why Lamb Shanks Need Time

Lamb shanks come from the lower part of the leg — a muscle that does a lot of work. That’s why they’re full of flavour, but also why they need time to cook properly.

This is something we talk about a lot in-store. The more work a muscle does, the more time it needs to break down and become tender. Try to rush it, and it’ll be tough. Give it time, and it becomes one of the best cuts on the animal.

If you’re not sure how different lamb cuts behave or what they’re best suited for, we’ve put together a full guide here:
Lamb cuts explained – how a butcher looks at a whole lamb

Shop Lamb Shanks

You can buy our French cut lamb shanks online or pick them up in store at The Lucky Pig, 452 Centre Road, Bentleigh.

They’re ideal for slow cooking, braising and cold-weather dinners like this one.

Visit The Lucky Pig

The Lucky Pig is a butcher and smokehouse in Bentleigh, Melbourne, making award-winning smallgoods, fresh sausages, quality cuts and ready-to-cook meal inspiration for local families.

Map link:
The Lucky Pig on Google Maps