Winter Lamb

By jonoandjules on 5 January 2025

There truly is only one season for this dish. It takes forever, and is best made the day before, but the ultimate comfort food when it's time to eat.

Wine Suggestion: A good southern Rhône blend will have the muscle and richness to match this without being to heavy or tannic. A firm favourite, though we've not opened one for a while (I blame an inquisitive palate) is Domaine du Grapillon d'Or's Gigondas which is mostly Grenache with a touch of Syrah at it's core. Brambly red fruits, with both a juiciness and powerful structure in abundance, while remaining elegant and poised.

Winter Lamb - serves 6

2 tbsp olive oil
6 lamb shanks, trimmed of excess fat
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
50g plain flour
600ml cold chicken stock
3 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
150ml red wine or Port
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp chopped thyme leaves
1½ tbsp balsamic vinegar

Ideally start the day before and heat the oven to 160C/140C fan.

Heat half the oil in a large, deep, ovenproof saucepan or casserole. Brown the shanks all over, you will probably need to do this in batches. Remove and set aside.

Add the rest of the oil to the pan, then add the onions and garlic, and cook over a high heat for about 5 minutes or until starting to soften. Put the flour into a jug and slowly whisk in the cold stock until smooth. Add to the onion pan with the tomato paste and red wine or Port and bring to the boil.

Return the lamb to the pan, add the soy sauce and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Stir well, then cover with a lid, and transfer to the oven for 3-4 hours or until the meat is tender and starting to fall off the bone. Stir in the vinegar.

Remove the shanks from the sauce, wrap in foil, and set aside to cool. Pour the sauce into a shallow ovenproof dish, cool, and cover with foil. When the sauce and shanks are completely cool, transfer to the fridge and leave overnight if you can.

To serve, heat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Remove any fat from the surface of the sauce with a spoon and discard. Remove the meat from the bone and leave in chunky pieces. Add the meat to the sauce and cover with foil.

Reheat in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until piping hot.

(Original recipe from Mary Berry Cooks Up a Feast with Lucy Young, DK: Penguin Random House, 2019.)