St. Patrick’s Day is Thursday, and I’ve cooked up two recipes to enjoy for that occasion or any other night you desire fine comfort food spiked with a famous Irish beer.
Lamb is popular meat in Ireland and rather than simmer cubes of it to make a classic Irish stew, I decided to braise lamb shanks.
Braising means to cook the main ingredient in a covered dish surrounded by flavourful liquid, not completely covered by it, as you do when stewing. As the lamb shanks braise, steam rises from the liquid and eventually tenderizes the meat.
That is important for tough lamb shanks, as they are cut from the lower, shin portion of the leg, a hard-working part of the animal. But after proper braising, the shanks become falling-off-the-bone tender and very succulent.
Because of where they are cut from, lamb shanks have a stronger, almost gamey flavour when compared with milder-tasting upper portions of the leg. Because of that, lamb shanks are best braised with ingredients that are also rich in taste. It’s why dark, rich, malt-flavoured Guinness with a hint of bitterness works well with them.
Beyond Guinness, other items stirred into my braising liquid for the lamb include vegetables, garlic, rosemary, tomatoes and orange zest. My side dish for the shanks was equally delicious and inviting.
Colcannon is a classic Irish dish made of mashed potatoes, cooked cabbage or kale and butter and/or cream. It may also contain other things, such as leeks, chives or spring (green) onions.
My second recipe is similar to colcannon, in that it contains a mix of mashed potatoes and cooked kale, but I flavoured those key ingredients with tangy buttermilk and lovely Irish cheddar cheese.
That combination of tastes and the colour and texture of the deluxe mashed potatoes married well with the Guinness-flavoured lamb. To round things off, you could serve the lamb with another more simply prepared vegetable, such as steamed carrots and beans.
Lamb Shanks Braised with Guinness
Lamb shanks, seared and then braised until succulently tender in a fine sauce rich with Ireland’s most famous beer, Guinness.
Preparation: 25 minutes
Cooking time: About three hours
Makes: four servings
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 (about 325 grams each) lamb shanks
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 (440 mL) can Guinness (scant 2 cups)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 (14 oz./398 mL) can diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
• rosemary sprigs, for garnish
Preheat oven to 325 F. Spread the flour on a plate. Place the oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and then coat it in the flour, shaking off the excess.
Set the lamb in the skillet and deeply brown on all sides. Set the shanks in a single layer in a 13-by-9-inch casserole.
Remove all but 1 Tbsp of the fat from the skillet. Add the onion, carrot and garlic and cook three to four minutes. Mix in the tomato paste and cook one minute more.
Add the Guinness, chopped rosemary and orange zest and bring to a simmer. Simmer five minutes, or until Guinness has reduced by about a third.
Mix in the tomatoes, vinegar and sugar and return to a simmer. Immediately pour mixture over the lamb. Cover and braise the lamb in the middle of the oven until very tender, about two and a half hours.
Skim excess fat from the lamb’s sauce. Serve lamb, topped with sauce and garnished with rosemary sprigs.
Kale- and Irish cheddar-flavoured Mashed Potatoes
These tangy, kale-flecked mashed potatoes are the perfect accompaniment for the tender lamb shanks.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: About 25 minutes
Makes: four servings
1 1/2 lb. yellow-fleshed potatoes, peeled and quartered (about 3 medium to large)
3 medium-sized fresh green kale leaves, washed well
2 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup warm buttermilk (see Note)
2/3 cup grated Irish cheddar cheese, about 75 grams
• salt and white pepper to taste
Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with at least two inches of cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook until very tender, about 18 to 20 minutes.
While the potatoes cook, pull the leafy parts of the kale off the tough centre rib and compost the latter. Now cut the leafy parts of the kale into quarter-inch strips. Bring 1 cup water to a simmer in a nine-inch-wide skillet. Add the kale and simmer and stir until just tender, about four minutes. Drain the kale in a sieve.
When cooked, drain the potatoes well. Thoroughly mash the potatoes as smooth as possible. Mix in the melted butter and buttermilk. Now mix in reserved kale and cheese. Season potatoes with salt and pepper, and then serve.
Note: You can warm the buttermilk by zapping it in the microwave a few seconds.
Eric Akis is the author of The Great Rotisserie Chicken Cookbook (Appetite by Random House). His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
