This Easter, celebrate the season by serving these Pomegranate Braised Lamb Shanks with your side of choice, just in time before the weather gets warmer.
I think it’s safe to say that Easter is synonymous with lamb and ham, other than cute bunnies and chocolate eggs of course. Everytime Easter comes around, we always have a lamb dish on the table, mostly a roasted rack of lamb or even a lamb stew.
This year however, I wanted to take things up a notch by wowing my family with my Pomegranate Braised Lamb Shanks. We all know that braising is in fact a labour of love, but the end result which shows off the tender and flavorful meat makes it absolutely worth it.
This dish is also inspired by my love for Moroccan food, and you can detect that based on the warm spices used, such as the cumin, coriander and cinnamon. I find Moroccan cuisine quite unique based on the balance of sweet, savory and earthy flavors used, and it definitely makes for an enjoyable experience on the palate.
With this Easter dish, you are getting the earthiness from the spices and herbs, the sweetness from the pomegranate and the savory/umami notes from the lamb and stock. Here’s a tip, you can buy or make your pomegranate juice ahead of time and freeze it. This will last for up to a year in the freezer should you want to remake this dish in the winter.
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Sea salt or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper or more to taste
- 2 lamb shanks (about 2½ pounds)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, or avocado oil
- 2 shallots, sliced into 1-inch spears
- 2 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 tarragon sprigs + 2 basil springs, tied with cooking twine
- 1½ cups pomegranate juice
- 1½ cups chicken stock (or veggie stock)
- ¼ cup red wine or chicken stock, for reduction
- 1.5 tablespoons heavy cream
- ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
- Tarragon or mint leaves, for garnish
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine coriander, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle lamb shanks with coriander mixture, then let rest for at least 15-20 minutes.
- Coat the lamb shanks in cornstarch and set aside. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add shanks and cook until browned on all sides, 10–12 minutes. Transfer the lamb shanks to a separate dish and keep warm.
- In the Dutch oven, add shallots and carrots. Cook in the fat drippings and continue stirring and scraping up any brown bits for about a minute. Add the cinnamon, then add in the tarragon and basil and pour in pomegranate juice and stock. Scrape pan again, then bring mixture to a simmer. Return the lamb shanks to the Dutch oven and season with additional kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
- Cover the Dutch oven pot and transfer to the oven. Braise for 2 ½ hours.
- Using kitchen tongs, carefully transfer the braised shanks to a serving dish and keep warm. Using a slotted spoon, remove the carrots, cinnamon, tarragon and basil and discard.
- Transfer the braising liquid to a saucepan and reduce the sauce over medium heat. Add in wine or stock and continue simmering until reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Finish the sauce with cream and reduce for another 1-2 minutes.
- Pour the source over the lamb and top with pomegranate seeds and garnish. Serve with your side of choice.
