Garlicky Braised Lamb Shanks with Sweet Peppers

Active Time:

1 hr 10 mins

Total Time:

3 hrs 10 mins

Servings:

Legendary chef Jeremiah Tower has been called the father of California cuisine, both as the chef at Chez Panisse in the 1970s, then at his own magnificent San Francisco restaurant, Stars, where this lamb shank dish was first served. Rich, mellow, and supremely satisfying, it was a dish that caught diners' eyes as it passed by their table, inspiring them to immediately order it for themselves. At Stars, Tower served the shanks with an aioli flavored with rosemary and mint, but we like to devour them as they are. The lamb can be braised a day ahead, making the meat extra tender and flavorful. The last-minute addition of fresh bell peppers injects a bright finish to the rich dish.

In 2018, Food & Wine named this recipe one of our 40 best.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to braise lamb?

Be patient when braising lamb, especially shanks. You need time to let them cook down to become fork-tender. We recommend braising the shanks for at least two hours, and then checking to see if they are tender enough, or if they need more time.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Lamb foreshanks might require some extra work for sourcing, but you cannot substitute hind shanks or other cuts here. The size of the foreshanks matters, as it will impact the cooking time; cook the lamb for 2 1/2 hours in step 2 if needed for large foreshanks. Keep in mind the size of your Dutch oven when shopping for the lamb. Tower advises using a heavy Dutch oven just big enough to hold the shanks, but you don't want to purchase shanks that are too large and max it out for space.

Make ahead

The lamb can be cooked up to a day in advance. Let the lamb cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate it. Reheat it before proceeding with step five.

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Ingredients

4 lamb foreshanks (about 5 pounds)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
12 unpeeled garlic cloves plus 24 peeled garlic cloves (from 4 heads), divided
6 fresh bay leaves
6 thyme sprigs
3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 medium-size yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Sprinkle the lamb with salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large ovenproof Dutch oven over medium until foamy. Add 2 of the lamb foreshanks, all of the unpeeled garlic cloves, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs, and cook, turning occasionally, until the lamb is browned all over, about 15 minutes. Transfer the browned foreshanks, unpeeled garlic, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs to a platter, and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and the remaining 2 foreshanks to the Dutch oven, and cook, turning occasionally, until browned all over, about 15 minutes, reducing the heat as needed to prevent over-browning. Return the browned foreshanks, unpeeled garlic, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs to the Dutch oven. Cover the Dutch oven and transfer it to the preheated oven. Cook, flipping shanks every 20 minutes, until very tender, 2 hours to 2 1/2 hours.
Remove the lamb shanks from the Dutch oven, and set aside. Pour chicken stock into the Dutch oven, and bring to a boil over high, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of the Dutch oven. Remove it from heat; use a ladle to skim off fat from surface, and discard. Return the stock to a boil over high, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 2 cups, 5 to 8 minutes. Pour the stock mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a large measuring cup; discard solids. Wipe the Dutch oven clean and pour the strained stock into the Dutch oven.
Add the peeled garlic cloves to the strained stock, and gently simmer over medium-low until the garlic is slightly tender, about 20 minutes, flipping the garlic cloves after 10 minutes. Stir in the bell peppers and thyme leaves and return the lamb to Dutch oven. (The lamb can be cooked up to a day ahead. Refrigerate, covered; reheat before proceeding.)
Cook over medium-low, moving peppers and lamb occasionally, until the peppers and garlic are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the lamb shanks to warm serving plates. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and remaining 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to sauce, and stir until creamy. Season with additional salt to taste. Spoon the sauce with bell peppers and garlic cloves around the lamb shanks and serve.

Legendary chef Jeremiah Tower has been called the father of California cuisine, both as the chef at Chez Panisse in the 1970s then at his own magnificent San Francisco restaurant, Stars, where this lamb shank dish was first served. Rich, mellow, saucy, and supremely satisfying, it was a dish that caught diners’ eyes as it passed by their table, inspiring them to immediately order it for themselves. At Stars, Tower served the shanks with an aioli flavored with rosemary and mint, but we like to devour them as they are. Tower also advises using a heavy dutch oven just big enough to hold the shanks. The lamb can be braised a day ahead, making the meat extra tender and flavorful. The last-minute addition of fresh bell peppers injects a bright finish to the rich dish. Greg DuPree