Nutmeg Free Slow-Braised Lamb Shanks with Pomegranate & Root Vegetables
Few braises hit as deeply satisfying as slow-cooked lamb shanks, and this one layers pomegranate juice, apple cider vinegar, and warm spices into a braising liquid that turns genuinely complex over hours in the oven. The combination of carrots, parsnips, and sweet potato soaks up every bit of that glossy, tangy-sweet broth, making the vegetables just as compelling as the meat itself. Ceylon cinnamon and turmeric do the heavy lifting in the spice department here — no nutmeg anywhere in the pot, which matters when so many braised meat recipes lean on it as a background note without even flagging it. Searing the shanks until deeply browned before they go into the Dutch oven is the step that builds the foundation of flavor, so don't rush it. Fresh rosemary and thyme steep into the liquid during the long braise, then get pulled out before serving so you're left with clean herbal depth rather than woody stems. The finished dish is the kind of thing you'd expect to spend hours fussing over, but the oven does almost all the work once everything is in the pot. A scatter of flat-leaf parsley at the end brightens the whole bowl and makes it look as good as it tastes.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 4 lamb shanks (about 1 lb / 450g each)
- 1 ½ tsp fine sea salt, divided
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, smashed
- 3 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 medium parsnips, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ceylon cinnamon
- 1 cup 100% pomegranate juice (no added sugar)
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups bone broth (homemade or aip-compliant brand)
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
For serving
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Pat the lamb shanks thoroughly dry with paper towels and season all over with 1 tsp of the salt.
- 2
Heat the coconut oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 2 lamb shanks and sear, turning with tongs every 2–3 minutes, until deeply browned on all sides, about 10–12 minutes total. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining 2 shanks.
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