Sous vide lamb shanks with Sicilian lemon and mint

by Rosana McPhee
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4
60 minutes

Ingredients

Sous vide lamb shanks with Sicilian lemon marinade

  • 4 lamb shanks, approximately 1.2kg in weight
  • 1 lemon, juiced and zested (without pith) preferably Sicilian
  • 1 tbsp of fresh mint, chopped (be generous! I have used fresh herbs and dry herbs in sous vide and both work fine)
  • 1 garlic clove, finely minced
  • salt, to taste
  • black pepper, to taste

Cauliflower mash

  • 750g of cauliflower, cut into small florets
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1 wild garlic leaf, add more if needed at end of cooking
  • 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  • salt, to taste
  • black pepper, to taste
  • 200ml of double cream, or dairy-free cream of your choice

Method

1
Add water to the water bath and preheat to 60°C
2
While waiting for the water to reach the desired temperature, prepare the lamb. Combine that marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Pierce each shank using a small, sharp knife and cover with the Sicilian lemon marinade, ensuring the marinade gets into the pierced holes
3
Place the shanks into small sous vide pouches, 2 per pouch, and divide any remaining marinade between the pouches. Vacuum seal the pouches
4
By now the water bath should have reached the desired temperature, if not wait and when it reaches 60°C, set the timer for 48 hours of cooking
5
Place the pouches into the water bath, close the lid provided and leave to cook. In the last 2 hours of cooking, prepare the cauliflower (see step 6)
6
After 48 hours, retrieve the lamb pouches from the water bath and set them aside. Increase the temperature of the water bath to 84°C
7
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
8
Prepare the cauliflower in the last hours of the lamb shank cooking in the water bath. Drizzle the florets with 1 tbsp olive oil and roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes
9
Once ready and totally cooled, place the roasted cauliflower in the sous vide pouch, in one layer. Add the salt, pepper to taste, wild garlic and the chopped chilli. Seal the pouch
10
Place the cauliflower pouches in the water bath and set the timer to 1.5 hours. When ready, remove from the bag and blitz in a food processor. Alternatively, if they are very soft you can massage the pouch, add the cream and mix all very well inside the pouch
11
Open the lamb pouches, drain the juices into a pan and place the lamb shanks in an ovenproof dish. Place it under a very red-hot grill for a minute on each side
12
Meanwhile, add 100ml of white or vermouth to the lamb juices from the pouch. Cook the sauce over a high heat until reduced, for about 5 minutes. By now the lamb shanks should be ready
13
To serve, lay the cauliflower mash on the plate, add the lamb shank on top and pour over the sauce. Serve immediately