Irish Stew

Paul Rankin's lamb shank version of Irish Stew is easy to make and completely satisfying to eat! The lamb is cooked in the oven until it is almost falling off the bone and when combined with the braised veg it is hearty and delicious!

Ingredients

4 lamb shanks
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp pearl barley
300ml lamb stock or water
1 fresh thyme sprig or ½ tsp dried thyme
1 fresh parsley sprig
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
140g carrots, roughly chopped
1 large leek, washed, trimmed and cut into 8 pieces
4 small potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 small onions, quartered
A handful of fresh parsley leaves, blanched and refreshed

Method

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Preheat the oven to 160C.
Ask your butcher to trim off any excess fat from the shanks and to remove the knuckles from the shanks. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Fry the lamb shanks until nicely coloured on all sides. Transfer them to a large braising dish and add the barley, stock or water, herbs and 1 tsp salt. Cover tightly with foil and a lid and cook in the oven for 1.5 hours.
Remove the dish from the oven and check that the lamb is moist and almost falling off the bone. If you think that it’s not quite ready, return it to the oven for another 15 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a warm serving plate and cover while you finish the braised vegetables.
To finish the vegetables place the braising dish on the hob and bring back to a simmer, adding more water if needed to give a nice consistency. Add the parsley and check and adjust the seasoning to taste.
To serve, ladle the braised vegetables onto four warm plates and place a shank on top of each serving.

Ingredients

4 lamb shanks
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp pearl barley
300ml lamb stock or water
1 fresh thyme sprig or ½ tsp dried thyme
1 fresh parsley sprig
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
140g carrots, roughly chopped
1 large leek, washed, trimmed and cut into 8 pieces
4 small potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 small onions, quartered
A handful of fresh parsley leaves, blanched and refreshed

Method

Preheat the oven to 160C.
Ask your butcher to trim off any excess fat from the shanks and to remove the knuckles from the shanks. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Fry the lamb shanks until nicely coloured on all sides. Transfer them to a large braising dish and add the barley, stock or water, herbs and 1 tsp salt. Cover tightly with foil and a lid and cook in the oven for 1.5 hours.
Remove the dish from the oven and check that the lamb is moist and almost falling off the bone. If you think that it’s not quite ready, return it to the oven for another 15 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a warm serving plate and cover while you finish the braised vegetables.
To finish the vegetables place the braising dish on the hob and bring back to a simmer, adding more water if needed to give a nice consistency. Add the parsley and check and adjust the seasoning to taste.
To serve, ladle the braised vegetables onto four warm plates and place a shank on top of each serving.