A winter favourite, this saucy lamb shank pot pie is absolutely delicious. Lamb shanks, vegetables, red wine, herbs and tomatoes are combined with Chorizo and topped with crisp, flaky puff pastry to create a visually stunning dish that tastes even better than it looks.
Lamb Shank Pot Pie
Serves: 4 Individual pot pies
Prep/Cook Time: 3.5 hours (2.5 hours braising)
Skill Level: Easy
Ingredients
- 1 (375g packet) Carême Butter Puff Pastry, defrosted
- 4 French-trimmed lamb shanks (400g each – you can ask your butcher to do this)
- Flour, for dusting
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 stick celery, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1½ teaspoons caraway seeds
- 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
- 1 chorizo, halved lengthways and sliced 1cm thick
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 2 cups (500ml) dry red wine
- 1 400g tin crushed tomatoes
- 500ml beef stock
- 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
- Salt, to taste
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 egg, beaten.
- Equipment
- Cast iron dutch oven (or large saucepan)
- 4 ceramic pie ramekins (we used 500ml ramekins)
- Pastry brush.
Method
- Dust the shanks with flour and set them aside.
- In a Dutch oven (or large saucepan), add the olive oil and preheat on high.
- Sear the lamb shanks on all sides until golden, then set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium-high, then sauté the onion, celery, carrot and caraway seeds for 8 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the garlic, chorizo, bay leaf and rosemary and sauté for a further 5 minutes.
- Pour in the wine and bring to the boil, then add the tomatoes, beef stock and salt and pepper. Place the shanks into the liquid in a single layer, ensuring they are covered, and bring back to the boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, then cover with a lid and cook for 2-2.5 hours, turning the shanks once or twice during cooking.
- When the meat begins to fall from the bone, remove the shanks from the pot. Using two forks, shred the meat (leaving some larger chunks) and set the bones aside until you are ready to complete the dish.
- Combine the cornstarch and water in a bowl and mix until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add it into the pot with the remaining liquid and vegetables and bring to a simmer for 1 minute, or until the mixture has started to thicken.
- Turn off the heat and mix the meat into the thickened liquid, then set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 200°C fan-forced (220°C conventional).
- Unroll the pastry and cut four 13cm circles. If your pots are smaller than what we used, cut circles that are 1cm larger in diameter than the pot you’re using.
- One-by-one, take each lamb shank and place it upright in the pot, then spoon an equal portion of the sauce, meat, chorizo and vegetables around the shank bone to fill each pot.
- Cut a cross in the centre of each pastry circle to slide the shank bone through, then place the pastry over the filling and gently press it onto the rim of the pot.
- Brush the top of the pastry with beaten egg, then arrange the pots on a baking tray.
- Place into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden.
- Set the pies aside to cool for 5 minutes, then serve.
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