Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 French-trimmed lamb shanks
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 750 ml (26 fl oz/3 cups) chicken stock
- rind of 1 lemon, cut into 1 cm (1/2 inch) strips, white pith removed
- 2 bay leaves
- 400 g (14 oz) kipfler (fingerling) potatoes
- 1 small handful mint
- 1 small handful coriander (cilantro) leaves
- 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Greek yoghurt, to serve
Tomato salsa
- 4 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
- 1 tablespoon flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped mint
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4).
2. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium–high heat. Add the shanks in batches and cook for 5 minutes, or until browned all over, turning often. Transfer to one large or two medium-sized roasting tins.
3. Add the garlic to the frying pan and sauté over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, or until softened. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, stirring to remove any stuck-on bits from the bottom of the pan.
4. Pour the hot stock over the shanks. Season the shanks with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and add the lemon rind strips and bay leaves. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.
5. Add the potatoes, then cover again and cook for another 1 hour, or until the shanks and potatoes are very tender.
6. Combine the mint, coriander and lemon juice in a small food processor. Blend until a paste forms, adding some cooking liquid from the lamb shanks to thin it if necessary. Stir the mixture through the lamb shanks and bake without the foil for a final 3 minutes. Adjust the seasoning.
7. In a bowl, toss together the tomato salsa ingredients and season with black pepper.
8. For the next day, reserve 4 shanks and 250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) of the cooking liquid from the shanks for the Middle-Eastern lamb salad. (The ingredients can be refrigerated in airtight containers for up to 4 days; the cooking liquid can be frozen for up to 2 months.)
9. Serve the remaining lamb shanks and potatoes in wide shallow bowls, with the tomato salsa and some yoghurt for spooning over.
