Between the fall-off-the-bone meat and the rich sauce scented with herbs and layered with flavor, this luxe-seeming meal felt intimidating to make at home. As it turns out, this meal is much more doable than it lets on.
Ingredients
For the lamb shanks
- 6 bone-in lamb shanks - about 6 pounds total
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt - divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion - chopped
- 1 large carrot - peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks celery - chopped
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- 3 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
For the polenta
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal - coarse, medium, or fine
- 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese - about 2 ounces
Instructions
Sear the meat
- Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F.
- Pat the lamb shanks dry with paper towels, then season all over with the pepper and 2 teaspoons of the salt.
- Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high until shimmering.
- Working in batches if needed, sear the lamb shanks until browned on the bottom, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and sear the other side for 4 to 5 minutes more. Transfer the lamb shanks to a large plate.
Sauté the vegetables
- Reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle with the flour, stir to coat the vegetables, and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits.
- Simmer until the wine is reduced by half and thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.
Add the liquid
- Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, broth, rosemary, thyme, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt.
- Bring to a boil, breaking the tomatoes up with the wooden spoon.
- Return the lamb shanks to the pan and arrange in a single layer, pushing them into the sauce so they’re about halfway covered with liquid.
Cook in the oven
- Cover and place in the oven.
- Cook, flipping the lamb halfway through, until the meat is very tender and pulling away from the bone, 2 to 2 1/2 hours total.
- Stir in the vinegar, cover again, and set aside to rest on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving. About 30 minutes before the lamb is ready, make the polenta.
Make the polenta
- Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Slowly whisk in the salt and cornmeal.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking constantly, until the polenta is smooth and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Cover and cook, stirring every 10 minutes and scraping up the sides, bottom, and corners of the pan, until creamy and tender, about 30 minutes total.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the Parmesan, and cover to keep warm.
- To serve, divide the polenta between bowls. Top with a lamb shank, then spoon the sauce over the lamb and polenta.