This week’s recipe comes from Compagnie du Ponant.
Ingredients
• 4 medium leeks (white and light-green parts
only), halved lengthwise, washed, and cut into
pieces
• 4 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and
diced
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 4 strips orange zest (use a vegetable peeler)
• Pepper
• Sea Salt
• 4 lamb shanks, french trimmed
• 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
•1-1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into 4 slices
Preparation
Position an oven rack in the lower third of the
oven and heat the oven to 160°C. Arrange 4
squares of heavy-duty aluminium foil on a
surface. Put 1/4 of the leeks, 1/4 of the carrots,
1 rosemary sprig, and 1 strip of orange zest on
each square. Season each with salt & pepper.
Set aside. Pat the lamb shanks dry and season
generously with salt & pepper. Heat oil in a
large skillet over med heat until shimmering
hot. Working in batches if necessary to avoid
crowding, brown the shanks on all sides, about 10
mins total per batch. Transfer 1 shank to each
foil square, arranging on top of the vegetables.
Draw up edges of the foil to capture juice,
but don’t seal packets yet. Return the skillet
to med heat, add the white wine, bring to a
simmer, scraping skillet with a wooden spoon.
Remove from heat. Portion the wine evenly
among the 4 packets, pouring it over the lamb.
Dot each shank with a slice of the butter. Fold
the foil to form rectangular packets, sealing
the seams tightly. Arrange the packets on a
baking sheet; it’s fine if they touch but they
shouldn’t overlap. Bake for 2-1/2 hours; then
check if ready by carefully opening one of the
packets (watch out for the steam) and testing
the meat with a fork—it should be tender and
pulling away from the bone. If necessary, bake
for another 10 mins and check again. Transfer
the contents of the packets to large plates
and serve with mashed potatoes. Remove the
rosemary and orange zest before serving.