Braised Lamb Shanks in Red Wine Sauce with Mushrooms and Rosemary
Serves 2 to 4
2 large or (4 small) lamb shanks
1 cup dry red wine, like a Rhone, Bordeaux, Burgundy
2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of raw apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons of Celtic sea salt
1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons of fresh chopped rosemary
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
16 oz. sliced cremini mushrooms
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
2 medium onions, each onion cut into 4 equal-sized wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil
For the marinade:
Place red wine, mustard, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary in a medium-sized stainless steel mixing bowl. Whisk together well. Set aside.
To cook shanks:
Warm olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed 12-inch skillet. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add lamb shanks and brown on all sides. Once browned, transfer lamb shanks to the slow cooker. Arrange onion wedges around the shanks.
Warm the residual olive oil and lamb fat in the skillet (in which the lamb shanks were just browned) over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and mushrooms and saute apx. 5 minutes, or until softened. Spoon carrot-onion mixture over the shanks.
To the same skillet, add the red wine marinade and deglaze, scraping up bits of meat and vegetables sticking to the bottom of the pan. Pour marinade over the shanks.
Set the slow cooker at high for apx. 2 hours. Then, reduce to “low” for another 2-3 hours. Check lamb shank after 4 hours to see how it’s doing.
To check for doneness, insert a knife into the shanks. When it goes in and out easily and there is absolutely no resistance, the lamb shanks are done. The shank bone will also be showing when done.
