Jamie Oliver’s tender glazed lamb shanks
I’m all about making life simpler when it comes to getting good food on the table. This simple one-dish dinner is a winner.
I’m all about making life simpler when it comes to getting good food on the table. (I am also dedicated to the art of minimal washing up – you can cook this recipe in one dish.) Cooking is many things to many people, and the most wonderful pursuit, but for most of us convenience rules. Embracing knockout dishes and utterly delicious food like this with no stress will make your life easier.
Tender Glazed Lamb Shanks
Preheat oven to 180°C. Place a large, deep casserole pan on a high heat. Season the lamb shanks with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then fry in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, turning until browned all over.
Meanwhile, halve the unpeeled garlic bulb across the middle and tear up the peppers into big chunks, discarding the seeds and stalks. Add both to the pan, then use a speed-peeler to add the lemon peel in strips. Go in with the potatoes (halve any larger ones), then squash, de-stone and add the olives, also stirring in a splash of liquor from their jar. Mix together well, cover, then transfer to the oven for 1 hour.
Mix up again, and cook uncovered for another hour, or until the lamb is tender. Remove from the oven. Mash the soft garlic cloves into the stew, discarding the skins, then season to perfection with salt, pepper and a thimble of red wine vinegar. Brush the honey over the lamb, then scatter with picked parsley leaves. Serves 4
Top tips
- To make a vegetarian version, simply swap the lamb for quarters of scrubbed celeriac, treating it in exactly the same way, and chuck in a jar of drained chickpeas
This is an edited extract from ONE: Simple One-Pan Wonders by Jamie Oliver (Penguin Random House, $55). Photography: David Loftus