Lamb Shanks (Middle Eastern Inspired)
Lamb Shanks
Equipment
- Instant Pot or regular pressure cooker
- immersion blender or regular blender
Ingredients
Sear Lamb Shanks:
- 3 lamb shanks
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4-5 tbsp oil
Gravy:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 cup diced onions
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 8 cloves garlic, sliced
- 12 oz. jarred roasted red pepper, diced
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp harissa paste
- 4 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cups beef stock
- 8-10 baby potatoes, cut in half
- chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
Sear Lamb Shanks:
- Wash and dry your lamb shanks very well. Pat dry with paper towels. Rub salt & black pepper on all sides.
- Set the Instant Pot to "sauté" mode and heat 2 tbsp oil. Sear the lamb shanks one at a time, trying to get a golden crust on all sides. This should take 3-4 minutes per side. Before searing the next lamb shank, add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of oil. When all the lamb shanks have been seared, set aside.
Gravy:
- Add butter and oil to Instant Pot. When it's hot, add the onions, carrots, and garlic. When there is some color on the onions (about 5 mins), add the roasted red peppers.
- Next, add all the powder spices. Add a splash of beef stock to prevent burning. Sauté for another minute. Then add harissa paste and tomato paste.
- Now turn off the Instant Pot and add the beef stock. Using a spatula, scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen up any bits stuck there. Then place the lamb shanks inside. Try your best to make sure the meaty parts of the lamb shanks are mostly submerged in the liquid.
- Close the Instant Pot lid, turning the valve to "sealing" mode. Set to "pressure cook" on high for 45 minutes.
- When done, either do a quick release or natural release. Carefully, using a big spoon or two, remove the lamb shanks (they will be soft) and transfer to a serving platter.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the gravy into a smooth puree.
- Add baby potatoes to the gravy. Turn the Instant Pot back on "saute" mode and cook uncovered, allowing for both the potatoes to cook through and for the gravy to reduce (about 15 minutes). Check to make sure the potatoes are done.
- Pour the gravy and potatoes all over the lamb shanks. Garnish with parsley. Enjoy!
About This Lamb Shank Dish
There are various ways to cook lamb shanks. The flavors can vary depending on region and style, but one thing is consistent–the best way is to cook the piece of meat until it’s soft and tender and falling off the bone. This cut of meat is found in the leg of a lamb and has a soft, flavorful texture, especially if it’s cooked as in this recipe.
Notice that I called this recipe Middle Eastern “inspired”. This is not an authentic Middle Eastern recipe (that’s delicious too), but rather I used those flavors and styles as an inspiration and created my own unique version. I’m going to toot my own horn a little here and say that my version is absolutely incredible. To be honest, I surprised myself with how good this lamb shank dish tastes. The gravy is thick, rich, and oozing with intense flavor.
The Steps, in a Nutshell
So this is not a quick and easy dish. Even with an Instant Pot which significantly cuts down on the time, it’s still a time consuming dish. But is it worth it? 100%. I would call this a showstopper dish, so a little extra work is inevitable.
You wanna start off with dry lamb shanks, so make sure you pat them dry really well. This will help you get a nice sear on them, which equals flavor. You will have to sear them one at a time in the Instant Pot due to their size. Be patient and try to get a golden sear on all the sides of each shank.
Next, we build the base of the sauce with veggies, spices, and pastes. You can roast your own red peppers, but using a jarred one is obviously easier. Make sure you’re scraping the bottom of the pan to make sure nothing burns. For the liquid, beef stock will give you the best flavor, but you can also substitute with chicken stock or a combination of beef & chicken stock if you must. Then we simply let the Instant Pot do its thing! (You can also use a regular pressure cooker…it does the same thing).
Once the lamb shanks are nice and tender, carefully remove them from the Instant Pot and place them directly on a serving platter. Choose a platter with some depth, as there is a lot of delicious gravy coming through!
Speaking of gravy, now we work on it. The easiest way is to use an immersion blender and puree the gravy right in the Instant Pot, but if you don’t have one you can also transfer to a regular blender. Just be careful as it will be super hot, and do it in batches. Once the gravy is smooth, throw in some potatoes. We’re going to let the potatoes cook while we reduce this gravy so it’s thick. When the potatoes are done cooking, your gravy should also be thick, silky, and bursting with flavor.
Then just pour the gravy/potatoes all over the lamb shanks. You want to get it inside every nook and cranny to keep the shanks moist (sorry). Enjoy with a side of saffron rice!
And Finally…
If you decide to recreate this recipe (and you should!) please don’t forget to leave a star rating and comment below. And share your work with me on Instagram!