Niamh Shields burst onto the blogging scene in 2007 and has since snapped up countless accolades for her food writing by The Times, The Telegraph and The Stylist, to name a few. Niamh is passionate about cooking, and when she's not travelling the world collecting culinary tips, she's at home concocting new and interesting meals for friends and family, including her foody fledgling niece. Here, Niamh shares all her know-how for delicious and easy home-cooking.
Spiced lamb shanks with rosemary, tomato sauce & cous cous
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So, Winter is here. Part of me says 'about time!' and wants to grab my duck down jacket (very warm!) and run outside to the cold – I love that cool air on my face with the rest of me cosy and warm. Most of me though, prefers to be in the kitchen, cooking up some robust winter classic. Beef bourgignon, big spicy curries, roast pork belly, to name a few. Always big food to battle the cold and the dark and to make indoors even more pleasant when it’s very cold outside.
One that rarely makes most tables is lamb shanks. It’s the perfect time to slow roast lamb shanks now. I like to make them spiced and in a fruity tomato sauce, fragrant with rosemary, heated with chilli with the spices on the meat itself so that they are big and bolshy in a sweet delicious sauce.
This is one of those wonderful dishes that cooks itself and is impressive to boot. A perfect dish to serve up to visiting friends on a cool winters evening. Your butcher will have lamb shanks, some supermarkets too. They are worth seeking out, and really worth the slow roast. Time is often confused with complication, but just imagine those 2.5 hours while this dish is cooking, where you can relax with a glass of wine, are get on with all that other stuff that needs doing. I prefer the first option but too often it boils down to number two.
I like to serve this with cous cous, but rice would work too, as would mash. Whatever works for you.
Preparation time: 15 minutes with an optional 2 hours with the meat dry spiced (if you have time and recommended)
Cooking time: 2.5 hours
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 lamb shanks
1 tbsp cumin (ground or 2 tbsp whole that has been toasted and ground for better flavour)
1 tbsp coriander (ground or 2 tbsp whole that has been toasted and ground for better flavour)
2 x tins good tomatoes
2 tbsp sugar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 sprigs rosemary, needles removed from the branch and chopped finely
1 red chilli, finely chopped (and deseeded if you don’t like too much heat)
200g cous cous
Sea salt
Method
- Combine the cumin and coriander and rub all over the lamb shanks. If you can, leave covered in the fridge for two hours, they will still taste good if you don’t but better if you do.
- Preheat your oven to 150 deg C.
- Start your tomato sauce. Saute the onions over a medium heat in the oil of your choice (sunflower / groundnut would work well) for about 5 minutes until soft. Add the chilli and garlic and cook for thirty seconds or so. Then add your tinned tomatoes, rosemary and sugar. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Pour the sauce into a casserole dish large enough to accommodate the four lamb shanks. Cover and roast, turning occasionally for 2.5 hours.
- Take out of the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- While the meat rests, place the cous cous in a bowl and cover it with boiling water. Put a plate over the bowl, and leave for 10 minutes, when the cous cous will have absorbed all the water. Pull a fork through it, fluffing it up.
- Serve the lamb shanks, one per person, on top of the cous cous and some tomato sauce. Eat immediately.
Enjoy!
 and run outside to the cold – I love that cool air on my face with the rest of me cosy and warm. Most of me though, prefers to be in the kitchen, cooking up some robust winter classic. Beef bourgignon, big spicy curries, roast pork belly, to name a few. Always big food to battle the cold and the dark and to make indoors even more pleasant when it’s very cold outside.){kind=link}
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