Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 2 TB lard
  • 2 lamb shanks
  • 1/2 onion (peeled and finely chopped)
  • 2 cloves garlic (peeled and finely chopped)
  • 100 g chestnut mushrooms (finely chopped)
  • 60 g dry red wine
  • 400 g chopped tomatoes
  • 1 TB tomato concentrated puree
  • 250 g beef stock
  • 1 bunch fresh rosemary sprigs
  • 1 bunch fresh thyme sprigs
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • fresh thyme (to garnish)

Instruction

  • Melt half the lard in a large pan or wok and brown the lamb shanks on all sides until golden and caramelised. Transfer them to your slow cooker.
  • In the meantime, prepare your remaining ingredients.
  • Add the second tablespoon lard to the same pan or wok and cook the onions over moderate heat until softened. Add the garlic and cook until the onions start to caramelise. Stir regularly to avoid the garlic burning. Tip in the chopped mushrooms and cook on high heat until they release all their moisture and start to caramelise.
  • Pour in the red wine and stir well until the wine cooks out and evaporates.
  • Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and beef stock and gently heat through, allowing the mixture to reduce by one-third.
  • Pour the mixture into the slow cooker over the lamb shanks and add the rosemary and thyme. (You could tie the sprigs together using butcher's string for easier removal.)
  • Cover and turn on the slow cooker. Cook for 3 hours, spooning the sauce over the shanks every hour or so. I also gently turn the shanks a few times.
  • After 3 hours, gently remove the shanks from the slow cooker and set aside to keep warm. Remove and discard the sprigs of herbs from the sauce (most leaves will fall away, but you want to remove the stalks). Use a hand blender to blitz the sauce until smooth. For a more intense flavour, reduce the sauce in a small pan on the stove top to a thicker consistency.
  • Season the lamb and the sauce with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve garnished with additional fresh thyme. I loved this on cauliflower mash, or any other keto-friendly side veg to mop up that lovely sauce. See the intro head note for a link to my Creamy Cauliflower Mash recipe here on Fats of Life. Please note the mash is not included in the macros.