Lamb Shank with Balsamic Vinaigrette, Garlic, Rosemary

Contains:  The dressing has honey in the vinaigrette (added sugar).  Is:  Gluten-free, nightshade-free, Paleo.  

One of my favorite parts of the lamb is the shank.  And just as a note, today would have been my parents’ 68th marriage anniversary date, were they still on this plane of life.  Which is relevant as they loved making and eating lamb.

Back in the day I tried cooking it like parents cooked the actual leg of lamb – to a nice pink medium rare.  We’d never eaten the shank back when I was growing up with them – basically, not enough meat on one to serve the four of us!  The shank was decent that way, but this cut really comes into its own if done with a longer braising.  There’s more cartilage and connective tissue here, and the shank sees more “action” on the animal than the actual leg does.

Lamb shank, alongside some leftover roasted onion/golden beet.

Be sure and save the bone and cartilage for stock!  I will be combining lamb bones with beef bones for a planned stock in in the very near future.  I get most of my lamb, grass fed and finished, from Sepe’s Farm, Newtown, Connecticut.  Lovely meat!  (Beef bones that I also use for stock likewise comes to me from a (different) local farmer.)

I used Annie’s Balsamic Vinaigrette as my base for the marinate. I love Annie’s (dressings), at least the few that have sounded intriguing enough to try.  There’s never a whole mishmash laundry list of questionable ingredients, and the dressings don’t try to cop out by tossing in that plethora of sugars so many others do.

I supplemented with garlic and rosemary, both well-known flavorings for lamb.  It’s a really simple recipe, though it will marinate for a few hours, then braise for two more hours.

Ready for the oven!

So, let’s have at it!  (Unfortunately, photography was sort of an afterthought – too hungry to work on presentation.)  I served this with some leftover roasted onion and yellow beet that had been part of a recipe I’d hoped to post, but with which I’m not yet satisfied enough to do so.

Prep Time:  15 minutes.
Marinate Time:  3-5 hours.
Cook Time:  2 hours.
Rest Time:  10 minutes.
Serves:  1 – 2.
Cuisine:  Pseudo-French influences.
Leftovers:  Sure.  And save the bone for stock/bone broth!

• 1 lamb shank,  about 1.3 pounds / 600 grams, thawed.
• 1/4 – 1/3rd cup / 60-80 mL balsamic vinaigrette (Annie’s is creamy, and a good choice).
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary (if yours is tightly crumbled, use somewhat less.  Mine was whole leaf from my own garden).
• Salt and ground pepper to taste.  (I used very little of either).

Remove silverskin from the shank, as possible.  Poke holes with a paring knife into the meat and even a little into the fat pad.

Mix the marinate ingredients together (everything else on that list).

To save on a plastic bag, I simply added the marinate into the freezer bag the shank came in, put the shank in there, and rubbed the marinate around without allowing it to come out of the top of the bag.  Use your own best method of marinating!

Place in fridge for 3 – 5 hours.  Longer is fine, too.

Preheat oven to 325 F / 160 C.

Place in pre-heated oven, set timer for two hours, and walk away.  (Well, you can add any veggies you want to roast this with, or add them in anywhere during the process that works for your said veggies.)

Remove from oven, allow to rest 10-15 minutes, and serve.  It’s good for one or two people, depending on desire and what sides you may have.

VERY yummy!

Nicely braised, and nestled next to roasted onions and a bit of beet.

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