Braised Lamb Shanks Recipe with Parmesan Risotto

I have always said that lamb and duck are hands down my favorite proteins of all time, and because they are it of course means I don’t get to eat them too often.  My wife isn’t too adventurous when it comes to eating foods that are a little different from the norm, and she especially won’t eat lamb or duck.  However, when it’s holiday season I usually get to make just about whatever I want.  For instance, I made smoked turkeys for Thanksgiving, which is definitely a little different than the norm, and the whole family was totally ok with it!  In light of having some success with twisting things up for the holidays I figured I would whip up this Braised Lamb Shanks Recipe with Parmesan Risotto for the Easter holiday weekend.  Now I’m not sure if my wife will dig it, but I am 100% confident that she’ll at least eat the risotto, which is a meal in itself.

Braising lamb shanks is actually really easy, it just requires some time, but it’s way quicker than braising most other meats like brisket or pork butt.  Once you taste the rich flavor combos of the lamb and red wine beef broth it’s braising in, you’ll forget all about the fact that it took 3 hours to make it.  Once you taste all of that goodness with the risotto you won’t care about anything at all, yes it’s that good!  The first part of braising lamb is seasoning them and then searing them in a bit of olive oil until they are golden brown.  The process of braising is caramelizing until roasted, not over cooked, and then finishing by simmering in a flavorful liquid.  Once the lamb is browned on all sides you want to remove it and then add a bunch of vegetables into the pan that you roasted the lamb in.  I’m a huge fan of not peeling my root vegetables simply because there is so much flavor and so many nutrients on the skin of vegetables.  Instead of peeling them, I like to simply wash them really well and then slice them up.  One my favorite kitchen gadgets to help me do this our Franke Roller Mat and Gooseneck Faucet with Hose Extender.  The Roller Mat acts as a colander, among many other things, making it easy to wash vegetables right over of the sink.  It’s honestly one of the coolest things in our kitchen and we use it daily!  Once the veggies are washed and rinsed you then want to roast them up in that pan until they are caramelized.  This part takes about 15 minutes to do it properly.  Once browned add in some tomato paste to help give it some color and body followed up by deglazing with red wine.  From there add the liquid, herbs, the browned lamb shanks, and a lid, and off to the oven it goes. I promise it’s that easy, just check out the video!

While the lamb is in the oven you’ll definitely have some time on your hands, so go hang out for 2 hours before returning to the kitchen to prepare the risotto.  I grew up in a kitchen that made risotto every day, so it’s as serious as religion for me.  You must always use an oversized pot to make it in and you must always use a wooden spoon while always continuing to stir in the exact same direction.  Don’t you dare let me catch you stirring any other way :-).  To me, the most important part of risotto is making sure you take the time to brown up and caramelize your onions.  Preparing the onions this way will make for the most flavorful rich risotto ever, so be sure to give yourself an hour total to make the risotto.  Once your onions are browned, add in the rice to toast it up a bit.  You then deglaze with white wine followed up by adding in chicken stock a few ladles at a time until the rice absorbs all the liquid, all while continuing to stir.  You repeat this process quite a few times until the rice is al dente, or slightly crunchy.  Always finish off your risotto with some fresh grated parmesan cheese and cream to give the richest of flavors.

The last thing you want to do is plate everything by adding a lamb shank over a bed of risotto along with some of the jus from the braising pot.  You can garnish with some fresh herbs, but I suggest not wasting too much time so you can eat this deliciousness ASAP!  Happy cooking everyone!