Grilled Lamb Shanks with Mushrooms and Wilted Greens
This spoon-tender braised lamb shanks with mushrooms recipe is delicious anytime of year. In this recipe, the shanks are par-cooked on the grill to give a light smoky flavor to them perfect for serving in spring when the nights are still cool. Slowly simmered until nearly falling off the bone with aromatic herbs and mushrooms, this is a simple meal you can improvise and make your own. Read on and I’ll explain the important things to know and how you can be creative.
Grilled Lamb Shank Ingredients
Here I use pheasant back mushrooms and green garlic. You could substitute fresh shiitake mushrooms and leeks. Feel free to use what’s available.
Lamb Shanks
Either lamb, goat or venison shanks will work here. You can use fore shanks, back shanks, or sliced as for osso bucco.
Green Garlic
Green garlic is garlic harvested while green and tender, before the scapes (flowers) start to form. It tastes like a delicious, garlicky scallion. You can substitute garlic and leeks for them.
Mushrooms
Pheasant back mushrooms can be found growing on dying elm and boxelder trees in the Midwest and across the country. Spring is the best time to harvest these mushrooms as they get tough fast as they grow and mature. If you can’t find them, shiitake mushrooms are a good substitute.
Leafy Greens
I serve the shanks with leafy greens in this case, freshly picked nettle tops. Feel free to use your favorite leafy greens like chard or spinach to soak up the pan juices.
This recipe is by James Beard Award-winning Chef Alan Bergo, a chef from Minnesota and author of The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora. Learn more about Chef Alan at foragerchef.com.
More Goat and Lamb Shank Recipes
Grilled Lamb Shanks with Mushrooms and Wilted Greens
Equipment
- 1 grill or cast iron skillet optional
- 1 Braising pot with lid
Ingredients
Shanks and mushrooms
- 2 lamb foreshanks (roughly 1.5 lbs) you want shanks on the small side here for a single serving
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
- 2 oz lamb or pork bacon (1 slice) optional
- 8 oz wild mushrooms such as morels, porcini, or chanterelles
- 3 oz generous half cup green garlic or a combination of diced leeks and garlic
- 3 cups lamb or vegetable stock
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour or equivalent
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or rosemary
Vegetables
- 4 oz fresh tender spinach or nettle tops or chard
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter for spreading on the nettles at the table, optional
- Fresh cut chives, for finishing, optional
- 2 cups mashed potatoes warmed
- 1 drizzle extra virgin olive oil for finishing, optional
Instructions
- Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper and allow to rest overnight, uncovered. The next day, smoke the shanks over a wood fire, or in a smoker at 300 F for 30 minutes. See note.
- Sweat the bacon on medium heat until the fat has released in a Dutch oven or oven-safe pot large enough for the shanks. Add the mushrooms and green garlic, cook 3 minutes, push to the side, add the tomato paste and flour and mix to combine.
- Add the wine and reduce by half. Add the lamb shanks and stock. Preheat the oven to 275 F. Cover the pot and cook for 1.5 hours or until the lamb shanks are just fork tender. Turn the shanks occasionally.
Nettles
- Wash the spinach or nettles, then steam for 4-5 minutes until they’re tender and taste good to you.
- Reduce the shank liquid it until it's slightly thickened and season to taste.
Serving
- Put the greens off-center in a wide plate with a rim, put down some mashed potatoes and a shank, spoon the mushrooms and pan juices over each one, garnish with the chives and serve immediately.