Braised Lamb Shanks with White Beans and Tomatoes

If you are tired of reading about lamb, skip this post.

This is the last post in the series of Supper Clubs sponsored by Tri-Lamb Group. The first two were leg of lamb and lamb pizza. I really think Tri-Lamb Group saved the best recipe for the last Supper Club: Braised Lamb Shanks with White Beans and Tomatoes.

Last Thursday, I came home to a box filled with lamb shanks, white beans, canned tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, spices, red wine and olive oil: all the ingredients necessary to make this dish.

If you know me, you'd be quite shocked that I followed the recipe provided to me EXACTLY, other than adding a bit of chopped parsley at the end for some color.

I've been eating leftovers for a few days and even used the bones to make lamb stock, which I will turn into soup tomorrow.

My friend Daphne was my guest and really enjoyed this recipe as well.

Before I share the recipe with you, a few things:
1) This was the first time I've ever braised meat: I don't know why I stayed away from this great technique!
2) I was so happy to have my large Le Creuset oven to use for this recipe.
3) I decide to serve this dish over boiled potatoes, but you can use rice, noodles or just a chunk of bread.

Here are the lamb shanks!

Braised Lamb Shanks with White Beans and Tomatoes by Tri-Lamb Group

Ingredients
4 lamb shanks
salt & pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 celery ribs, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespooons tomato paste
1 1/2 tablespoons herbs de provence
1/4 cup dry  red wine
1 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
15-ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained
28-ounce can diced tomatoes (with the juices)
To serve: boiled potatoes and fresh parsley

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven (I used my Le Creuset) over medium-high heat. Season lamb shanks with salt and pepper and brown on each side for about four minutes. {You may want to brown the shanks for a longer amount of time and do so in batches.} Remove the shanks from the Dutch oven and set them aside.

2. Add onion, carrot, celery, tomato paste, herbs de Provence, garlic, salt & pepper to the Dutch oven and cook until softened, for about five minutes. Add wine and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

3. Add broth, beans and tomatoes, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Nestle the lamb shanks into the broth mixture. Cover the Dutch oven and put it into the oven. Braise the shanks for 1.5 to 2.5 hours until they are tender and easily fall off the bone.

before

after

Check out the "sauce"

Ta-da!

For someone who usually buys boneless and skinless chicken breasts, I LOVED this dish. The lamb was incredibly flavorful and tender, the tomato & white bean mixture balanced the rich flavor of the meat, and the boiled potatoes did an excellent job soaking up all the juices.

The next day, I noticed a solid layer of fat on top of the lamb and beans. I scraped it off. I recommend you do the same unless you eat the entire dish the night you make it.

A big THANK YOU to Tri-Lamb Company for this amazing experience. I really hope to continue my working relationship with you.

Disclaimer: I was not monetarily compensated for these Supper Club posts. I was, however, provided with all the ingredients to make the recipes and was surprised with a gift card at the end of this series.

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