Ingredients
- 4 PGI Welsh Lamb shanks
- Sea salt
- 5-6 dried guajillo chillies, seeds removed
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 medium red or roscoff onions, finely sliced
- 15 vine cherry tomatoes, halved
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1.5 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsps smoked paprika
- 150ml pink grapefruit juice and zest
- 650 ml lamb or beef stock
- 150 ml red wine (or extra stock)
- 300ml water
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken in two (or two big pinches of ground cinnamon)
- 1 square of dark chocolate
For the Parsnip and Swede Mash:
- 600g floury potatoes (e.g. Maris Piper), peeled & chopped
- 300g parsnips, peeled & chopped
- 400g swede, peeled & chopped
- 50g butter
- 4-6 tbsp double cream or hot milk
- Salt and white pepper (or black)
195
Cooking Time
60
Prep Time
4
Serves
Guajillo chilli brings warmth, complexity and red-fruit depth without any heat.
- One hour before you start to cook, season your shanks really well with a big, three-fingered pinch of sea salt. Also, soak and soften the guajillo chillies. Place the deseeded chillies in a bowl and cover with 100ml boiling water. Soak for 10 or so minutes until soft.
- Pat any moisture from the lamb and season generously with freshly cracked black pepper. Heat the olive oil in a heavy casserole dish over medium-high heat and brown the shanks well on all sides – you’re looking for some lovely deep caramelisation here. Remove and set aside.
- Lower the heat under the pan to low-medium. Add the sliced onions to the same pot with a pinch of salt. Cook slowly for 10–12 minutes, stirring, until soft, sweet, and lightly caramelised, adding a splash of the chilli water if they start to stick. Heat the oven to 160 °C fan.
- While they’re cooking, lift the chillies out of their soaking water, giving them a squeeze to remove excess liquid, then roughly chop, reserving the rest of the soaking liquor for later. Add to the pan along with the garlic, tomatoes, tomato purée, paprika and oregano and cook, stirring, for 4 more minutes, until fragrant, sticky and the tomatoes are softening. Add 3 tbsps of the chilli water, stirring it in to scrape up any caramelised bits, cooking for a further minute to start the sauce.
- Pour over the wine, stock and water, and add the bay leaf, chocolate and cinnamon, then return the lamb shanks to the pot. The liquid should come halfway up the meat. Bring to a gentle simmer, baste the shanks with the sauce and cover, then cook for 2½–3 hours, turning the shanks over and basting in the sauce once during the cooking. They’re ready when the meat is falling from the bone. Uncover for the final 20 minutes if you want the sauce to reduce and intensify.
- For the parsnip and swede mash| Cook the potatoes, parsnips and swede together in well-salted water until completely tender. Drain thoroughly and return to the pan to steam dry for a minute.
- Mash with the butter, then beat in enough cream or hot milk to give a smooth, spoonable mash. Season generously with salt and white pepper (or black).
- To serve, spoon the mash onto warm plates, top with a lamb shank, and ladle over the rich guajillo braising sauce. Finish with a little extra zest if you like brightness.
