This decadent dish brings together tender, slow-cooked Osso Bucco-style lamb shanks with wine, stock, aromatics, and vegetables for a hearty and comforting meal. Serve atop a bed of mashed potatoes or polenta to enjoy with your family or impress your friends!
Lamb Osso Bucco With Vegetables & Aromatics
For the osso bucco:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds of lamb osso bucco
4 to 5 cloves garlic, sliced
2 to 3 small ribs celery and leafy tops, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 strips of uncooked bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 large fresh bay leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 strip lemon peel
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Gremolata:
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup basil leaves, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Osso Bucco:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high to high heat. Sprinkle the osso bucco with salt and pepper. Brown the meat, occasionally stirring, for 12 to 15 minutes before transferring to a plate.
In that same pot, add bacon, garlic, celery, carrots, onions, and fennel seeds. Stir and let them cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomato paste, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and stir for 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for 1 minute, then pour in the wine and deglaze the pot, scraping and stirring 1 minute longer.
Next, add the chicken stock, tomatoes, lemon peel, and bay leaves. Scrape down the pot before adding back the osso bucco. Cover, transfer to the oven, and cook for 2 hours until fork tender. Transfer the shanks to a platter. Remove the bay leaves from the sauce and place the Dutch oven back on the stove over medium-high heat. Whisk the sauce to combine and thicken for 4 to 5 minutes.
For the Gremolata:
Combine the lemon zest with the finely chopped garlic and basil leaves. Add olive oil and whisk to combine.
Serve the shanks in shallow bowls on top of polenta or mashed potatoes. Top the shanks with pan sauce and sprinkle with dabs of gremolata.
