Rob’s Lamb Shanks

If you are a lover of the lamb shank but get a little weary of the same old slow cooked tomato based sauces then you might like this version that Rob created a few years ago. I think it was originally from a Greek cookbook that we have that cooks a whole leg of lamb slowly using this method of baking paper, but Rob thought he might give it a try using the small shank. If your family was anything like mine, whenever Mum made a roast lamb the bone was the best bit. It was always being baggsed “bags the bone!” and even Rob’s family they had to have a roster in the diary of whose turn it actually was next!

This cooking slow method of the lamb shank in a baking paper bag loaded with all the things that lamb loves (like rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper) turns the humble shank into a mini roast lamb that is JUST the bone. I think you will love it!

I didn’t realise that the recipe wasn’t actually on the blog up until when we were last at the farm and I had lots of requests when I whacked it on my stories. Thankfully my mother in law had written the recipe and added it into her own recipe book so I had a reference.

Rob’s Lamb Shanks

Lamb shanks (we only allow for 1 each but if they are smaller you could totally have two)
Garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
Rosemary sprigs
Salt & pepper
Olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Thinly slice the garlic cloves into pieces and take small sprigs of rosemary off your stalks. You need about 3-4 slices of each per shank

2. Pierce the shank with a sharp knife making about 3-4 small incisions with the tip of your knife and push in a slither of garlic and rosemary into each cut

3. Tear off a piece of baking paper (enough to cover the whole shank twisting the ends like a parcel) and place the shank in the middle with a drizzle of olive oil and season with salt & pepper, the wrap up the parcel, tying both ends so there is no gaps in there

4. Place onto a tray or roasting pan and into the oven and turn temp down to around 150/160 degrees for 3-4 hours. You can’t really stuff this up the longer the better – if you need to take it out earlier you can. The meat falls off the bone and get’s an almost like glass like bottom from the oil at the bottom of the parcel. SO YUM.

We serve with potatoes and salad (a couple of favourites of mine you could try would be risoni, or pea and feta or the tomato & onion) with the shank parcel placed on each plate ready for you to open up at the table (make sure you have a bowl for all the paper and the bones at the end).

Rob's Lamb Shank in a bag

A great variation on cooking a lamb shank, wrapped up in a parcel and packed with great simple flavours.
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours

Ingredients
  

  • Lamb shanks 1-2 per person depending on size
  • Garlic cloves peeled and thinly sliced, 3-4 per shank
  • rosemary sprigs 3-4 per shank
  • Salt & pepper
  • drizzle olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Thinly slice the garlic cloves into pieces and take small sprigs of rosemary off your stalks. You need about 3-4 slices of each per shank
  • Pierce the shank with a sharp knife making about 3-4 small incisions with the tip of your knife and push in a slither of garlic and rosemary into each cut
  • Tear off a piece of baking paper (enough to cover the whole shank twisting the ends like a parcel) and place the shank in the middle with a drizzle of olive oil and season with salt & pepper, the wrap up the parcel, tying both ends so there is no gaps in there
  • Place onto a tray or roasting pan and into the oven and turn temp down to around 150/160 degrees for 3-4 hours. You can't really stuff this up the longer the better - if you need to take it out earlier you can. The meat falls off the bone and get's an almost like glass like bottom from the oil at the bottom of the parcel. SO YUM.

Hope you guys enjoy this one as much as we have over the years!
How do you love your shanks?
In a casserole or something else?

Comments

  1. Juststopspeaking says

    How unfortunate that I have 4 shanks in the fridge 😋 thanks Beth and Rob

  2. Cannot wait to try this!!! The paper is genius – how many times have I done lamb shanks for them to fall off the bone as I’m serving. This is much more sophisticated!! Thank you for sharing 😊 …And exactly right now I have a leg of lamb slow roasting in the oven, I would absolutely love to know the original recipe too? More-so for timing etc xx

  3. andrea stuart says

    Yum!!! Do you reckon it could be done in the slow cooker?

    • Ooh I am not sure. I don’t have one so am not really across how they work especially with paper etc…worth a try but the crispy you get from the oven is second to none!

  4. My husband will love this and so will I (my parents were from Cyprus – loving lamb is in my DNA) 🌸

  5. 5 stars
    I tried this recipe yesterday Beth and they turned out beautifully. Thanks for sharing

  6. 5 stars
    Thanks Beth – I cooked these – one word DELICIOUS!

  7. 5 stars
    Bloody fantastic,,meat melts in your mouth like butter..did 3hrs at 175..

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