Braised Lamb Shanks with Greens & Sweet Potato Mash

Serves 4, Total prep and cooking time 4 hours

This is a real winter warmer. The lamb shanks are comforting, wholesome and tasty. Try not to be put off by the cooking time - a lot of this is simmering time where you will not need to be standing over the stove. Sneak off for a glass of wine or to walk the dog - or do whatever else you fancy while your lamb bubbles away and becomes flavourful and delicious.

Image Source: https://www.essence.com/lifestyle/essence-eats/essence-eats-holiday-2015-meal-remix-braised-lamb-shank/
(This image is an example of how the final product could look, the linked recipe is different)

Ingredients:
4 lamb shanks
Sea salt (I prefer maldon sea salt flakes)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp flour
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 brown onion, diced
1 leek, thinly sliced
2 small carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup red wine
2 cans of chopped tomatoes
4 cups beef stock (1 litre)
Sourdough bread
Fresh thyme and parsley leaves
2 sweet potatoes (about 500g)
Pinch of nutmeg
1 tbsp butter

Method:
1. Season the lamb shanks with sea salt and dust with flour.
2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Fry the lamb shanks two at a time until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and sauté the garlic, onion, leeks, carrots, celery, chilli, smoked paprika and a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Stir frequently and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add the tomato paste to the mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes, before adding the wine. Reduce by cooking for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes, stock and lamb shanks to the mixture. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 4 hours. You want the top of the sauce to be gently bubbling.
6. To make the mash, cook the sweet potato in a saucepan of boiling water for about 15 minutes. Drain the water and mash the sweet potatoes. Add the butter and nutmeg to the mixture.
7. By the time the lamb shanks are ready to serve, the sauce will have reduced and thickened & the meat will be tender and falling off the bone.
8. Steam the veg for approx 5 minutes.
9. Plate up the lamb, sweet potato mash & greens. Make sure you ladle a generous scoop of sauce over everything. Garnish with fresh thyme and parsley - serve with sourdough to mop up any additional sauce.