It’s usually towards the end of winter that I start getting a craving for it. Not the chop variety, but a big old pot of stew or braised lamb shanks. Something hearty, something filling, something that will hold me through the week. For my birthday a few weeks ago we made rack of lamb with the chops served on puréed celery root. The flavors were so good together I decided to bring them alive in a stew. Wow! This is a great way to serve lamb shanks. We sear a couple shanks first to get good browning, then cook them with onions, rosemary, and a little stock. Half way through the cooking we add in chopped celery root and green cabbage. Since this is the kind of recipe you need to serve in a bowl (more stew-ish than stand-alone shank-ish), when the shanks are done, we strip the meat off the bones and return them to the pot. But you could leave them on the bones if you like. I’m only using 2 shanks for a recipe that serves 4 to 6, so it seems to make more sense to take the meat off. When sufficiently browned, remove shanks to a bowl, set aside. Place the seared lamb shanks on top. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt. Add the chicken stock. Bring the stock to a simmer, lower the heat to the lowest setting to maintain a simmer, and cover. Let simmer for 1 hour. Core the cabbage and slice the cabbage into 1 1/2-inch thick slices. Return the shanks to the pot, nestling them in the celery root and cabbage. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley to serve. Celery Root Mash here on Simply Recipes Lamb Stew with Root Vegetables here on Simply Recipes Braised Lamb Shanks here on Simply Recipes Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks in Red Wine Sauce from Nagi of Recipe Tin Eats
