Braised Lamb Shank with Crispy Potato Galette,
Rosemary Jus & Glazed Brunoise Vegetables
Yield: 4 plates
Component 1. Braised Lamb Shanks & Silky Rosemary Jus
Ingredients
For the shanks & initial seasoning
4 lamb shanks, well trimmed (bone left intact and mostly clean so it can stand up)
2 teaspoons kosher salt (plus more to taste later)
2 teaspoons coarse black pepper
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil or neutral oil (more only if your pan is dry)
For the braise base
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped (save the leafy tops if you have them)
2 medium carrots, chopped (also plan 1 carrot later for garnish — separate that now if you like)
2 large shallots, finely chopped
6 to 8 cloves garlic (whole cloves are good; peeled or unpeeled is fine)
1 small potato, chopped (this will blend into the sauce later and make it silky)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
Liquid & aromatics
2 cups dry wine (about 500 ml; roughly 2/3 of a standard 750 ml bottle)
Use a dry red (Cabernet/Bordeaux style) OR a dry white plus a splash of fortified wine like port. Both reduce to a deep brown sauce once finished.
2 1/2 to 3 cups low-sodium stock (chicken, or chicken + a little beef), just enough to come about halfway up the shanks in the pot
2 bay leaves
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
2 fresh thyme sprigs
A few celery leaves (optional, if your celery had them)
To finish the jus
Small splash balsamic vinegar OR red wine vinegar OR a squeeze of lemon juice (for brightness at the end)
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter (optional, for shine)
Fresh rosemary needles (pulled from a sprig) for plating
Method
1. Season the shanks
Pat the lamb shanks dry. Rub them all over with the salt, pepper, chopped rosemary, and chopped thyme.
This seasons the meat itself and helps build that browned, aromatic crust you see in the final dish.
2. Brown the lamb and caramelize the veg
Set a large, heavy, oven-safe pot or roasting pan (Dutch oven / rondeau / heavy roasting pan that can sit on the stovetop) over medium to medium-high heat. Add the oil.
Lay in the lamb shanks. Brown slowly on all sides until they take on deep golden-brown color.
When the shanks are about halfway browned, add the chopped onion, celery, carrots, shallots, garlic, and chopped potato right into the same pan with the lamb. Keep cooking, stirring the vegetables and turning the shanks, until:
the lamb is well browned on all sides
the vegetables have real color (light brown / caramelized at the edges, not just translucent)
Spoon off excess fat so the pan isn’t greasy.
This caramelization step is what gives you that dark, mahogany-brown sauce on the plate.
3. Build the base of the sauce
Add the tomato paste. Cook 30–60 seconds, stirring, to toast it.
Sprinkle the flour over everything in the pan. Toss and cook 1–2 minutes.
The flour plus the potato starch is going to thicken the sauce naturally later so it coats the spoon and pools on the plate instead of running everywhere.
4. Deglaze and add braising liquid
Pour in the wine. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to pull up all the browned bits. Let that simmer for a minute or two to take off the raw alcohol edge.
Add enough stock to bring the liquid level to about halfway to two-thirds up the sides of the shanks. You want them nestled in flavorful liquid, not floating like soup.
Add the bay leaves, rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs, and celery leaves if you have them. Taste the liquid now — it should already be savory and herby.
5. Braise
Bring the pot just to a simmer on the stovetop.
Move the uncovered pot to a 350–375°F (175–190°C) oven.
Braise for about 2 hours, turning the shanks every 30 minutes so they cook evenly and baste in their own sauce.
Target doneness: the meat is very tender and will pull with gentle pressure, but it’s still hugging the bone. You need the shank to stay intact and able to stand upright on the plate.
Watch the liquid:
If it’s reducing too fast and the bottom of the pot looks dry, add a splash more stock and lower the oven to ~325°F / 160°C.
If you have lots of liquid and it isn’t tightening, leave it uncovered and let it reduce in the oven.
6. Hold the shanks
Carefully lift the lamb shanks out and transfer them to a small tray. Tent loosely with foil and keep warm in a low oven (~200°F / 93°C). Keep them whole. Do not shred.
This is important for the final presentation (bone vertical).
7. Make the glossy jus
You should now have a pot of reduced braising liquid plus all the cooked aromatics.
Here’s how to turn that into the smooth, glossy brown jus you serve on the plate:
Fish out and discard the bay leaves and woody herb stems.
Transfer all the liquid AND all the vegetables (onion, carrot, celery, shallot, garlic, potato — everything) to a blender. Blend until completely smooth.
Pour that blended sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a clean saucepan, pressing with the back of a ladle or spoon to get all the body. Discard what won’t pass through.
Simmer the strained sauce over medium-low heat until it:
looks shiny,
coats the back of a spoon,
pours in a slow ribbon,
and will sit in a pool on the plate without running.
Skim any fat off the top as needed so it looks clean, not greasy.
Right at the end:
Taste. Add a tiny splash of balsamic vinegar OR red wine vinegar OR a squeeze of lemon. This brightens the sauce so it doesn’t eat flat, without adding any visible garnish.
Whisk in the cold butter if you want even more sheen.
Keep the finished jus warm for plating.
Component 2. Crispy Potato Galette (base under the shank)
You’ll make 4 individual galettes, one per plate.
Ingredients
~4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
(Plan about 1 potato per galette; if they’re large, you may get away with 3 total.)Kosher salt and black pepper
Clarified butter, ghee, or a mix of butter + neutral oil (enough to lightly coat the pan for each galette)
Method
Slice the potatoes very thin — about 2 mm — using a mandoline if you can. You want even rounds.
Lightly season the slices with salt and pepper.
Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium to medium-low with enough clarified butter to just coat the surface.
Shingle potato slices in the skillet in overlapping concentric layers to form a tight disc about 4 inches across and roughly 1/2 inch thick. Press gently with a spatula so the layers start to bind.
Cook slowly. The bottom should turn deep golden and crisp while the interior cooks through and goes tender. Add a touch more fat around the edges if the pan gets dry.
When the first side is browned and holding together, flip:
Slide the galette out onto a plate, add a touch more fat to the pan, then invert the galette back in to brown the second side.
When both sides are browned and the center is tender, hold the galettes on a rack in a low oven so they stay crisp (don’t stack them; stacking traps steam and softens the crust).
Goal texture: crisp, browned exterior; creamy interior; disc holds together when you cut into it with a fork.
Component 3. Glazed Brunoise Vegetables
This is the little pile of glossy tiny dice (orange + pale green) next to the lamb on the finished plate. It adds sweetness, color, and texture.
Ingredients
1 carrot, cut into fine brunoise (tiny uniform cubes)
1 rib celery (or a little pale leek), cut into fine brunoise
Pinch kosher salt
1–2 spoonfuls of the finished lamb jus
A small dab of neutral oil or butter
Method
In a small pan over low heat, warm just enough oil or butter to coat the bottom.
Add the diced carrot and celery with a pinch of salt. Gently sweat until just tender. Do not brown — you want them bright, not roasted.
Add a spoonful or two of the finished jus and toss to glaze. They should look shiny and well seasoned, not watery.
Hold warm.
Plating (1 plate at a time)
Warm a wide white plate.
Spoon a small pool of the silky jus into the center of the plate.
Place one crispy potato galette on top of that pool.
Set (or stand) one lamb shank vertically on the galette, bone pointing upward. The meat should still be clinging to the bone so it can stand.
Spoon more jus around the base of the galette and lightly over the lamb so it looks lacquered.
Add a small mound of the glazed brunoise vegetables to the side of the galette.
Finish with a light scatter of fresh rosemary needles over the lamb and into the jus.
That’s the plate.
Service Flow for 4 Plates
Braise the lamb shanks and hold them warm.
Blend / strain / reduce the jus and keep it warm.
Brown the potato galettes right before plating so they stay crisp.
While the galettes cook, glaze the brunoise vegetables.
Plate in this order: sauce → galette → shank → more sauce → brunoise → rosemary needles.
