Our Favourite Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks

When I know that I won't be home for dinner and need something that my husband can dish up without much hassle, I normally use my slow cooker.  The dish will bubble away until it needs to be dished up and I can keep an eye on it if I am home for some of the day.  This will be our dinner tonight, one of my favourite comfort food dishes.

6 lamb shanks


flour

salt & freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 carrots, thinly sliced

2 onions, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, trimmed and finely sliced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

5 anchovy fillets

250 g mushrooms, sliced

1 Tblsp dried oregano

250ml red wine

1 Tblsp tomato paste

300ml beef stock

Dust the lamb shanks with flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large frying pan and brown the lamb shanks in batches, transfer them to the slow cooker once evenly browned. Add the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, mushrooms and oregano to the slow cooker and then pour over the red wine and tomato paste mixed with the beef stock. Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Just before you serve the lamb shanks, take them out of the liquid and set them aside to keep warm.  Pour the liquid from the slow cooker into a saucepan and simmer it until it has reduced and thickened – make sure you don’t reduce it too much.  You could thicken the sauce with arrowroot/cornflour mixed with a little of the cooled liquid and then stirred back into the sauce.  I usually serve the lamb shanks with mash and steamed greens.