Our Head Chef, Marcin, loves nothing more than creating seasonal dishes using quality, local ingredients for our menus. With the clocks springing forward, we can only hope that the sunshine is en route, as the thoughts of alfresco dining return to the menu. Until the warm weather arrives, and because we all love to dive into classic comfort food when the skies are grey, Marcin has shared a delicious lamb shank recipe, which is super simple to make and out of this world on the taste scale…
Braised Lamb Shank with minted gravy
serves 4 people
Main Dish:
- 4 good sized lamb shanks (200-250g each)
- Half a tin (200g) of chopped tomatoes
- 3 medium carrots, diced
- 2 medium white onions, diced
- 3 celery sticks, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
- A healthy sprig of rosemary leaves, chopped
- 3 bay leaves
- 5-6 whole black peppercorns
- 750 ml of water
- Seasoning (salt & pepper)
Gravy:
- 500 ml of beef stock
- 1 tsp mint sauce
- 50g finely chopped fresh mint
Method:
- Pre-heat the oven to 200 °C/ gas mark 6.
- Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper and lay them (allowing space between one another) in a roasting tray.
- Place in the oven for 15 minutes to colour (golden brown).
- Mix the chopped tomatoes and the 750ml water and bring to the boil.
- After 15 minutes, take out the roasting tray with the lamb shanks and add the diced carrots, onion, celery and garlic cloves. Pour over the tomato and water liquid and herbs.
- Cover the tray with foil and braise in the oven for approximately 2-2.5 hours.
- The lamb is ready when the meat is visibly soft and falling off the bone. Keep it longer in the oven if needed.
- Once removed from the oven, keep it covered with foil and leave it to rest for 20 minutes.
- To make the gravy, use the liquid left in the tray (remove the shanks), add the beef stock and mint sauce, stirring and bring to the boil. Heat the tray contents by sitting it on the heated hob, allowing the sauce to reduce by half and looks rich and glossy. Add a splash of water if the sauce turns too thick.
Best served with creamy mashed potato and the roasted veg and pour over the mint gravy. A top tip for making delicious, creamy mash is to use a mix of butter and double cream and don’t forget to season it with salt and white pepper.
There’s never a better time to book a table, come and enjoy our delicious new spring dishes from our menu and specials board.