Braised lamb shanks in whiskey with colcannon

Ingredients

• 1 turnip
• 4 large carrots
• ¼ small swede
• ¼ celeriac
• 2 potatoes
• 1 onion 
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 lamb shanks
• 200ml red wine
• 150ml whiskey
• 1 beef stock cube
• 3 sprigs rosemary
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

Colcannon 

• 1 large shallot
• 3 potatoes
• ¼ savoy cabbage 
• 50g butter
• 30ml cream
• 1 spring onion, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven at 160C. 
2. Peel and roughly chop root vegetables around 3cm thick. 
3. Season lamb well with salt and pepper. Pour around 2 tbsp of oil in an oven proof pot, and brown shanks over stove. 
4. Lower heat and add whiskey, crushed garlic and wine. Simmer for a few minutes allowing the alcohol to burn off. 
5. Add all vegetables over the lamb. 
6. Place stock in hot water and pour until vegetables are almost covered.
7. Cover with lid and place in oven for 3½ hours, check every hour to make sure everything is still covered. On the last hour remove lid to allow sauce to reduce.
8. To make the colcannon, remove the hard leaves off the cabbage and chop finely. 
9. Place cabbage in a pot of boiling water for 1 min to blanch then quickly place in cold water to stop the cooking process. 
10. Boil potatoes until tender – approx. 30 mins.
11. Drain and add butter, cream, salt, pepper.
12. Mash potato until smooth add the chopped cabbage and half a spring onion, mix and adjust seasoning.
13. Serve the lamb shanks on a bed of colcannon along with some of the root veg and the gravy. 

This recipe first appeared on Gourmet Today, October, 2016.