Greek-Style Braised Lamb Shanks

Okay, I think I did something amazing with these Braised Lamb Shanks. This recipe is so dang good. It uses warming spices like cinnamon, and all-spice and is slowly cooked to perfection. This meal would be the perfect dish for a dinner party, or to serve over the holiday season. It’s also just such a comfort meal and warms you up from the inside out. I promise you’re going to love this recipe!

❤️ Why You’ll Love Braised Lamb Shanks

• Comforting: The warming spices on the slow-cooked meal paired with mashed potatoes make this dish the ultimate comfort food.
• Quick Prep: Prep these Braised Lamb Shanks in only 10 minutes and let your stove do the rest of the work.
• Impressive: There is something about serving lamb that makes your dish so elevated and this dish is the perfect recipe for a dinner party when you’re looking to impress (without all the work).

🍲 Ingredients

Lamb Shank – Lamb is so delicious and it truly doesn’t get the credit it deserves what I love about lamb is that it’s so flavorful and very easy to cook. A lamb shank is a cut that is from the shin of the lamb, and because of that, you get a ton of flavor due to the connective tissues. The key to lamb shanks is cooking them low and slow, otherwise they can be quite tough.

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Yukon Gold Potatoes – Yukon Gold Potatoes are the perfect potatoes for the mashed potatoes you’re going to want to make to serve with these Braised Lamb Shanks. The key to a great mashed potato is the potato itself that you start with. Yukon Gold Potatoes have a buttery flavor and tend to absorb less water as they cook. This means they keep that perfect consistency for mashing and don’t get super watery in the cooking process.

👩‍🍳 How to Make Braised Lamb Shanks

For the lamb shanks

1. Season the lamb shanks well with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F.
3. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. When the oil is hot add the lamb shanks to the put and sear until well browned on all 4 sides.
4. Once browned, remove the lamb shanks to a plate or bowl and set aside.
5. Add the onions and celery and cook over medium heat, stirring often, about 5-7 minutes until softened and starting to brown.
6. Add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
7. Next, add the dried oregano, paprika, garlic powder, nutmeg, cinnamon sticks (or ground cinnamon), salt, pepper and bay leaves and mix to combine.
8. Deglaze with the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot and let cook until it reduces slightly, 3-4 minutes. Then add the chicken broth and tomato sauce and stir to combine.
9. Place the lamb shanks back in the pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Turn to medium-low and let simmer for 5 minutes and then turn off the heat. Cover the pot with a lid, and bake in the oven at 350 for 1 1/2 hours, then remove the lid for the rest of the cooking time, 30-45 minutes more (check on them periodically through the cooking process in case you need to add more beef broth – the liquid will have reduced by ¼-⅓ by the time they’re done) or until they are tender enough to fall off the bone.

For the mashed potatoes

1. Make the mashed potatoes with about 30 minutes left in the lamb shank cooking time.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your potatoes until soft and fork-tender.
3. Once the potatoes are cooked, remove from the heat and drain the water.
4. Put the cooked potatoes through a ricer and set aside in a bowl. Add the butter, salt, pepper, whole milk and cream cheese to the large pot over low heat. As the butter melts, stir to combine all of the ingredients together until the butter has fully melted. Turn the heat off.

🪄 Tips and Tricks

• Make In Advance: It’s ideal if you serve this hot out of the oven but if you are trying to prep before your guests arrive, you can make it up to an hour before you plan on serving and just keep it warm on a very low heat on the stove or in the oven.
• Don’t Rush: The key to lamb shanks is to not cook them fast or you’ll end up with tough meat. You want to ensure you cook at a low temperature for a long time to get the best consistency. Don’t rush this recipe!
• Serving: If you don’t like mashed potatoes, you can serve this dish with any side dish you prefer. Rice can be a great alternative.

🗒 Substitutions

• Red Wine: If you don’t have an open bottle of red on hand, no problem, use more broth, it just won’t add the same acidity and depth to the flavor.
• Chicken Broth: You can use any broth for this recipe, beef or veggie also work!
• Pearl Onions: If you can’t find pearl onions then you can use regular yellow onions, peeled and diced.
• Yukon Gold Potatoes: If you can’t find Yukon Gold Potatoes, look for another waxy potato such as a red potato.

🗒 Best served with

• Asparagus Puff Pastry Bundles
• Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Garlic Roasted Brussel Sprouts

👝 How to Store Leftovers

Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. You can also freeze any leftover lamb in the sauce for up to 3 months. Just make sure you don’t freeze the mashed potatoes with it.

🤔 Common Questions

Greek-Style Braised Lamb Shanks

5 from 9 votes

These Braised Lamb Shanks are inspired by Greek flavors, and the perfect recipe for a cold winter night or to impress at your next dinner party.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Course Main

Cuisine Greek

Servings 4

Calories 1212 kcal

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Ingredients

  

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For the lamb shanks

• 4 lamb shanks (about 1600g total for 4 shanks)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 cup pearl onions, peeled
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp ground all spice
• 2 cinnamon sticks (or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 28 oz jar or can or tomato sauce
• fresh parsley for garnish

For the mashed potatoes

• 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 – 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup plain cream cheese

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Instructions

 

For the lamb shanks

• Season the lamb shanks well with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. When the oil is hot add the lamb shanks to the put and sear until well browned on all 4 sides.
• Once browned, remove the lamb shanks to a plate or bowl and set aside.
• Add the onions and celery and cook over medium heat, stirring often, about 5-7 minutes until softened and starting to brown.
• Add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
• Next, add the dried oregano, paprika, garlic powder, nutmeg, cinnamon sticks (or ground cinnamon), salt, pepper and bay leaves and mix to combine.
• Deglaze with the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot and let cook until it reduces slightly, 3-4 minutes. Then add the chicken broth and tomato sauce and stir to combine.
• Place the lamb shanks back in the pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Turn to medium-low and let simmer for 5 minutes and then turn off the heat. Cover the pot with a lid, and bake in the oven at 350 for 1 1/2 hours, then remove the lid for the rest of the cooking time, 30-45 minutes more (check on them periodically through the cooking process in case you need to add more beef broth – the liquid will have reduced by ¼-⅓ by the time they’re done) or until they are tender enough to fall off the bone.

For the mashed potatoes

• Make the mashed potatoes with about 30 minutes left in the lamb shanks cooking time.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your potatoes until soft and fork-tender.
• Once potatoes are cooked, remove from the heat and drain the water.
• Put the cooked potatoes through a ricer and set aside in a bowl. Add the butter, salt, pepper, whole milk and cream cheese to the large pot over low heat. As the butter melts, stir to combine all of the ingredients together until the butter has fully melted. Turn the heat off.
• Add the riced or mashed potatoes back to the pot and stir to combine. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired. Or, add more butter or milk if you need more creaminess. Set aside covered on the stove to keep warm.

To serve

• To serve, add mashed potatoes to a plate or low bowl and add the lamb shanks on top with some of the braising liquid. Garnish with fresh parsley.

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Notes

• A red wine like a cabernet sauvignon, merlot, shiraz or a Greek red wine will work for this recipe. 
• If you don’t use wine in your cooking, substitute with an equal amount of chicken broth.
• Instead of mashed potatoes you can serve these braised lamb shanks over rice or orzo.
• If you like this recipe, try Easy Beef Stew in Tomato Sauce (Moshari Kokkinisto)

Nutrition

Calories: 1212kcal | Carbohydrates: 65.1g | Protein: 93.9g | Fat: 60.4g | Saturated Fat: 25.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4.6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 24.9g | Cholesterol: 336.9mg | Sodium: 2783.1mg | Fiber: 10.8g | Sugar: 14.2g

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