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Okay, I think I did something amazing with these Braised Lamb Shanks. This recipe is so dang good. It uses warming spices like cinnamon, and all-spice and is slowly cooked to perfection. This meal would be the perfect dish for a dinner party, or to serve over the holiday season. It’s also just such a comfort meal and warms you up from the inside out. I promise you’re going to love this recipe!
Why You’ll Love Braised Lamb Shanks
- Comforting: The warming spices on the slow-cooked meal paired with mashed potatoes make this dish the ultimate comfort food.
- Quick Prep: Prep these Braised Lamb Shanks in only 10 minutes and let your stove do the rest of the work.
- Impressive: There is something about serving lamb that makes your dish so elevated and this dish is the perfect recipe for a dinner party when you’re looking to impress (without all the work).
Ingredients
Lamb Shank – Lamb is so delicious and it truly doesn’t get the credit it deserves what I love about lamb is that it’s so flavorful and very easy to cook. A lamb shank is a cut that is from the shin of the lamb, and because of that, you get a ton of flavor due to the connective tissues. The key to lamb shanks is cooking them low and slow, otherwise they can be quite tough.
Maria Koutsogiannia
Maria is the creator of FoodByMaria and your go-to Greek food expert for cozy, flavor-packed recipes. Inspired by her Mediterranean roots, she brings traditional Greek flavors, feel-good ingredients, and a whole lot of joy to everyday cooking.
Yukon Gold Potatoes – Yukon Gold Potatoes are the perfect potatoes for the mashed potatoes you’re going to want to make to serve with these Braised Lamb Shanks. The key to a great mashed potato is the potato itself that you start with. Yukon Gold Potatoes have a buttery flavor and tend to absorb less water as they cook. This means they keep that perfect consistency for mashing and don’t get super watery in the cooking process.
How to Make Braised Lamb Shanks
For the lamb shanks
- Season the lamb shanks well with salt and pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. When the oil is hot add the lamb shanks to the put and sear until well browned on all 4 sides.
- Once browned, remove the lamb shanks to a plate or bowl and set aside.
- Add the onions and celery and cook over medium heat, stirring often, about 5-7 minutes until softened and starting to brown.
- Add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Next, add the dried oregano, paprika, garlic powder, nutmeg, cinnamon sticks (or ground cinnamon), salt, pepper and bay leaves and mix to combine.
- Deglaze with the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot and let cook until it reduces slightly, 3-4 minutes. Then add the chicken broth and tomato sauce and stir to combine.
- Place the lamb shanks back in the pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Turn to medium-low and let simmer for 5 minutes and then turn off the heat. Cover the pot with a lid, and bake in the oven at 350 for 1 1/2 hours, then remove the lid for the rest of the cooking time, 30-45 minutes more (check on them periodically through the cooking process in case you need to add more beef broth – the liquid will have reduced by ¼-⅓ by the time they’re done) or until they are tender enough to fall off the bone.
For the mashed potatoes
- Make the mashed potatoes with about 30 minutes left in the lamb shank cooking time.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your potatoes until soft and fork-tender.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, remove from the heat and drain the water.
- Put the cooked potatoes through a ricer and set aside in a bowl. Add the butter, salt, pepper, whole milk and cream cheese to the large pot over low heat. As the butter melts, stir to combine all of the ingredients together until the butter has fully melted. Turn the heat off.
Tips and Tricks
- Make In Advance: It’s ideal if you serve this hot out of the oven but if you are trying to prep before your guests arrive, you can make it up to an hour before you plan on serving and just keep it warm on a very low heat on the stove or in the oven.
- Don’t Rush: The key to lamb shanks is to not cook them fast or you’ll end up with tough meat. You want to ensure you cook at a low temperature for a long time to get the best consistency. Don’t rush this recipe!
- Serving: If you don’t like mashed potatoes, you can serve this dish with any side dish you prefer. Rice can be a great alternative.
Substitutions
- Red Wine: If you don’t have an open bottle of red on hand, no problem, use more broth, it just won’t add the same acidity and depth to the flavor.
- Chicken Broth: You can use any broth for this recipe, beef or veggie also work!
- Pearl Onions: If you can’t find pearl onions then you can use regular yellow onions, peeled and diced.
- Yukon Gold Potatoes: If you can’t find Yukon Gold Potatoes, look for another waxy potato such as a red potato.
Best served with
Find more delicious ways to make lamb (plus pairings) in our Greek lamb recipes guide.
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. You can also freeze any leftover lamb in the sauce for up to 3 months. Just make sure you don’t freeze the mashed potatoes with it.
Common Questions
Lamb shank is a cut of lamb that can be tough but as you slowly cook it it becomes tender, juicy, and full of flavor.
Yes! Lamb is rich in protein and also loaded with vitamins that can help reduce levels of bad cholesterol, and lower your risk of heart problems.
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Ingredients
For the lamb shanks
- 4 lamb shanks (about 1600g total for 4 shanks)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 ½ cup pearl onions, peeled
- 2 celery sticks, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground all spice
- 2 cinnamon sticks, (or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 28 oz jar or can or tomato sauce
- fresh parsley for garnish
For the mashed potatoes
- 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 – 1 ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup plain cream cheese
Instructions
Start CookingFor the lamb shanks
- Season the lamb shanks well with salt and pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. When the oil is hot add the lamb shanks to the put and sear until well browned on all 4 sides.
- Once browned, remove the lamb shanks to a plate or bowl and set aside.
- Add the onions and celery and cook over medium heat, stirring often, about 5-7 minutes until softened and starting to brown.
- Add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Next, add the dried oregano, paprika, garlic powder, all spice, cinnamon sticks (or ground cinnamon), salt, pepper and bay leaves and mix to combine.
- Deglaze with the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot and let cook until it reduces slightly, 3-4 minutes. Then add the chicken broth and tomato sauce and stir to combine.
- Place the lamb shanks back in the pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Turn to medium-low and let simmer for 5 minutes and then turn off the heat. Cover the pot with a lid, and bake in the oven at 350 for 1 1/2 hours, then remove the lid for the rest of the cooking time, 30-45 minutes more (check on them periodically through the cooking process in case you need to add more chicken broth – the liquid will have reduced by ¼-⅓ by the time they’re done) or until they are tender enough to fall off the bone.
For the mashed potatoes
- Make the mashed potatoes with about 30 minutes left in the lamb shanks cooking time.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your potatoes until soft and fork-tender.
- Once potatoes are cooked, remove from the heat and drain the water.
- Put the cooked potatoes through a ricer and set aside in a bowl. Add the butter, salt, pepper, whole milk and cream cheese to the large pot over low heat. As the butter melts, stir to combine all of the ingredients together until the butter has fully melted. Turn the heat off.
- Add the riced or mashed potatoes back to the pot and stir to combine. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired. Or, add more butter or milk if you need more creaminess. Set aside covered on the stove to keep warm.
To serve
- To serve, add mashed potatoes to a plate or low bowl and add the lamb shanks on top with some of the braising liquid. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Notes
- A red wine like a cabernet sauvignon, merlot, shiraz or a Greek red wine will work for this recipe.
- If you don’t use wine in your cooking, substitute with an equal amount of chicken broth.
- Instead of mashed potatoes you can serve these braised lamb shanks over rice or orzo.
- If you like this recipe, try Easy Beef Stew in Tomato Sauce (Moshari Kokkinisto)
49 people are discussing this recipe. Join in
I need to make 6 shanks, do you think that’s too many for one Dutch oven?
It might be…. can you use a bigger dutch oven?
In #9 you mention beef broth??
It sees to be missing in the recipe??
There is chicken broth
Hello that is simply an error. We state chicken broth in the ingredients list as well as in the instructions – that’s for flagging though, it’s been edited.
I’ve made these twice and it absolutely the bomb for making me feel like it really is a Greek dish. The cinnamon and tomato make it rock well with the rosemary. Little bit of gaminess was perfected by the balance of spice!
instructions say “nutmeg” but ingredient list doesn’t have it but has “allspice” instead. can you confirm which one should be used?
Allspice! when it doubt always follow the ingredient list – this has also been edited! Thanks for flagging!
Thank you so much for the love, Kim! This makes me so happy!
This was soooo good! Will definitely make it again!
The meat was so tender and flavourful! Even the picky eater in my house gobbled it up
thank you so much for the love, debiie!!!!
It was out of this world delicious!! I’ve made this recipe twice this month for Christmas parties and it was an absolute hit, definitely will be a staple for future parties and family dinners!! Only thing I changed is that I used leg of lamb instead of shanks since I had to cook for a larger group of people ❤️
It was out of this world delicious!! I’ve made this recipe twice this month for Christmas parties and it was an absolute hit, definitely will be a staple for future parties and family dinners!! Only thing I changed is that I used leg of lamb instead of shanks since I had to cook for a larger group of people ❤️
I need to try this recipe with a leg!! I am so glad you enjoyed this hunnie!!!
This recipe is a sunday dinner super star dish!
thank you so so much karson!
yummy
thank you so much, maria!
First time braising lamb shanks. This recipe was straightforward, easy to follow and insanely delicious! I will be adding it into my make often recipes.
I love to hear this, Lisa! Thank you so much!
Maria shared this recipe on instagram and it looked so amazing, I just had to make it myself.
I used a leg of lamb and cooked it at 325° for 4 hrs covered, then an additional 30 uncovered.
It is mouthwatering!! So delicious. Don’t leave anything out. Even if you think it might be different than what your used to, follow the recipe. You will be rewarded with the most amazing dish!!!
I would give this 10/5 stars. We love lamb and this will be on our rotation to cook regularly. Thank you for creating a delicious meal!!!
OH my goodness hunnie this is the sweetest review!!! Thank you so much!!! You are the best <3