Braised Italian American Lamb Shanks with Garlic Parmesan Polenta
Recipe provided by Couple in the Kitchen | Tasty Recipes, Romantic Travel, and Lots of Date Ideas, courtesy of the American Lamb Board (Braised Italian American Lamb Shanks with Garlic Parmesan Polenta | American Lamb).
Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees and prepping your lamb shanks by seasoning them generously with salt and pepper.
In a dutch oven, add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and sear the lamb for 2-3 minutes per side until the meat starts to turn light brown with a nice sear.
Remove the lamb from the dutch oven. Add onions and peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes until they start to soften. Now add your garlic and saute for about a minute. Add the chicken stock, red wine, tomato puree and tomato paste to the pan, scraping off any brown bits from the lamb as you mix in the liquids. Now add the dried rosemary, basil, oregano, and thyme and stir until well combined.
Pop your lamb shanks back into the dutch oven and replace the cover. Cook at 325 degrees for 2 hours, turning the lamb every 30 minutes or so. Garnish your slow cooked lamb shanks with fresh lemon juice, fresh basil, and additional salt and pepper.
To make the polenta for under your Italian red wine lamb shanks, start by melting the butter in a saucepan. Then add the minced garlic and cook for about one minute.
Next, add the quart of chicken broth and bring the liquid to a boil.
Once boiling, start to add the polenta, about ⅓ cup at a time. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 15-25 minutes (stirring every few minutes) until the polenta has thickened to your desired consistency.
Stir in the cheese and finish the dish with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately or the polenta will start to firm up into a polenta cake.
This lamb dish will be fall-off-the-bone, yet not overcooked. Spoon the reserved sauce in the dutch oven on top of your lamb shank and cheesy polenta prior to serving. We love to make it with our parmesan polenta, but it would also be terrific with some mashed potatoes!
