Slow cooker braised Lamb Shank Shepherd’s Pie with WA Wild Rosemary

Wild rosemary is an unsung hero, with its grassy almost lavender-like flavour. This recipes elevates the traditional family meal, Shepherd’s Pie, to a new level whilst also creating two meals in one by utilising slow cooked lamb shanks instead of lamb mince.

Recipe provided to us by
Robyne Low of RiverMint Dining

Wild Rosemary

Olearia axillaris

Ingredients

For 6 servings

6 lamb shanks, seasoned with salt and pepper and rubbed with 1 tbsp dijon mustard

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

5 springs wild rosemary, (3 springs leaves removed and chopped, set aside)

2 springs parsley, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 brown onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup red wine

500ml lamb or beef stock

1kg mashed potatoes

Peas or spinach, to serve

Method

Set the slow cooker to sauté and pre-heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Gently sauté the onion, garlic, celery carrot and season with salt and pepper until lightly browned. Remove.
Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper and dust with the flour. Select the ‘Sear’ setting of the slow cooker, brown the lamb shanks two at a time. When all shanks are brown, arrange in the slow cooker, return the vegetables to the cooker, and stir through.
Add the chopped wild rosemary leaves, red wine, stock, tomato puree and Worcestershire sauce, stir and seal lid. Slow cook on low for 8 hours.
Once cooked the lamb shanks can be removed. At this point you can either serve the shanks as a dish on their own by straining the liquid sauce, removing the layer of fat on top and reducing the sauce in a pan until it coats the back of a spoon. Serve with the slow cooked vegetables and salad OR Remove all the lamb meat from the bones and chop. Reduce the remaining sauce and vegetables (if necessary) to a thick sauce in the slow-cooked and re-add the chopped lamb.
Use the lamb mix as a base in a baking dish and top with mash potato and some grated cheese if desired before placing in a preheated oven (200 degrees) to lightly brown

A medium to large slow cooker is used for this recipe. If you do not have one, simply follow the saute and sear instructions, then place in an oven proof casserole dish with a lid (or better still a cast iron pot), and cook at 165 degrees fan-forced for 6 hours until meat falls off bone.