Lamb Shanks with Garlic and Butter Beans

You've got to try Lamb Shanks with Garlic and Butter Beans to believe it. The meat is so tender it practically falls away from the bone by itself. If you're a lamb chops fan, this just might replace them in your affections.

Prep: 30 min | Bake: 3 hr 15 min | Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Camellia Brand Large Lima Beans (also called Butter Beans), rinsed and soaked overnight in enough cold water to cover
• 8 lamb shanks
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 5 cups vegetable stock, divided
• 5 large shallots, diced (about 1/3 cup)
• 8 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 3 large ripe tomatoes, diced (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 cups white wine
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Heat 6 tablespoons olive oil in a large, deep sauté pan or Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, and brown the lamb shanks on all sides. Remove the shanks from the pan and set aside.
3. Drain the fat, and deglaze the pan using 1 cup vegetable stock. Pour the liquid into a small bowl and set aside.
4. Return the sauté pan to the stove, and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 additional minute. Add the brandy, tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves, and thyme and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
5. Add the drained beans and arrange the lamb in the pan; with the meatier side down. Pour in the deglazing liquid, the wine, and the remaining vegetable stock.Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Cover the sauté pan with a tight fitting lid and bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until lamb shanks are fork tender and the beans are done. Check halfway through the cooking time and add more stock as needed.
7. Remove from the oven, discard bay leaves and thyme, then increase the oven temperature to broil. Return the lamb to the oven and broil each side for 5 minutes to brown.
8. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
9. Serve in a preheated bowl with the butter beans and sauce.

Attribution

Recipe and photo used with permission from: Camellia Brand

From Dinner Deja Vu: Southern Tonight, French Tomorrow by Jennifer Hill Booker, photography by Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn (Pelican Publishing, 2017).

Chef Jennifer Hill Booker is a Le Cordon Bleu-certified chef, cookbook author, reality TV personality, culinary educator, business owner and GA Grown Executive Chef for the GA Department of Tourism and Travel. She weaves her love of traditional Southern cuisine with her belief in incorporating healthy, seasonal foods and her classic French training.