Braised Lamb Shanks

Ingredients

2 Lamb shanks
Salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3-4 medium potatoes, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/4 cup chicken or beef stock
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
Optional, and highly recommended:
3/4 cup raisins, soaked in 1/2 cup sherry for a couple hours
1/2 cup of fresh mint leaves

1 Preheat oven to 350° F. Season lamb shanks with salt.
2 Brown the lamb shanks: Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or an oven-proof, thick-bottomed, pot with a tight fitting cover on medium high heat on the stovetop. Working in batches if necessary, brown the lamb shanks in the pot on all sides. Remove shanks to a dish.

3 Sauté the onion, carrot, celery: Add onion, carrot and celery and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often.

4 Add potatoes, then garlic, lamb, herbs, sherry, raisins: Add potatoes and cook another 2 minutes. Add the garlic, lamb shanks, and herbs (except for the mint). If using, add the sherry and raisins; bring the sherry to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.

5 Add stock, bring to simmer, put in oven: Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, cover the pot and bake in the oven for 1 1/2 or 2 hours or until shanks are tender.

6 Strip meat from bones: Remove the shanks, strip the meat from the bones and return the meat to the pan.
Serve with fresh mint leaves as garnish.