Lamb Shanks en Papillotes with Leeks, Carrots, Rosemary and Orange from Fine Cooking Magazine, April/May 2011

Even though I love meat, sometimes it's hard to eat. It's just one of those ways in which my brain is a bit weird and twisted. For instance, I can cook up a whole chicken, carve it and eat the thigh without a problem. But I can barely get through a ground venison burger if I think at all about what I'm eating. Beef is no problem. Neither is pork. Lamb; lamb can be if a little wooly Disneyesque lamb traipses across my mind at all. And, lamb is if the part I eat is recognizable.

Until I made the Lamb Shanks en Papillotes with Leeks, Carrots, Rosemary and Orange (Fine Cooking really needs to find someone to help them come up with shorter names for these dishes), I had never used lamb shanks, which look remarkably like little baby lamb legs. Now you know why I don't live on a farm and raise my own livestock.

In truth, I was lucky to find a lamb shank. It's not a common cut of meat in my area (not that lamb in general is anyhow) and I'm sure the only reason there was any in the store was that Easter had just passed. Which is also probably why it was on sale. Yes, one. I found only one.

This recipe is one of those wonderful kind that are all wrapped up in a packet and roasted in the oven for a long time so the meat can get infused with all the aromatics, spices and other goodies that are enclosed with it while it gets all nice and tender. I like meals like that.

Along with the seasoned lamb shanks, my packets included carrots, leeks, rosemary, orange peel, oil, white wine and butter. At least the oil, wine and butter are a surprise, right?  The vegetables and herbs are put on the sheet of aluminum foil first. The lamb is seared on all sides, then placed on top of the vegetables. The pan is deglazed with the wine and then it's all poured over the lamb and the butter is the final exclamation point before the packets are sealed and put in the oven for a nice long roast.

While I was prepping the shank by removing the silverskin and slicing the tendons at the narrow end of the bone, Dudette happened to wander by and ask what I was makng. I told her it was lamb and showed her the leg. It was a tough moment of reconciling the fact that when I say we're eating chicken, we're really eating a chicken and when we eat lamb, it's really a lamb. She is my daughter, after all.

Since I only had the one lamb shank, I partnered this dish with the Lamb Shoulder Chops with Smoky Red Pepper-Shallot Butter, giving all of us a chance to taste them side-by-side. It was kind of fun to see who favored what.

Amazingly, I found the lamb shank to be a bit bland, which makes no sense, but may have something to do with trying it after the chop. Even though I had seasoned the meat with salt and pepper very well prior to searing, it apparently had all steamed off during the hours of cooking.  However, it was amazingly tender; fall off the bone tender.

Hubby preferred the shank and loved the tenderness of the meat. He was especially drawn to the flavor that the carrots picked up and I know he would have liked to have more than just the single carrot that is included with each packet. Dudette didn't care for the shank at all. She did, however, chow down heavily on the chop, so I think the flavor experience wasn't there for her either.

So, this is another recipe that gets mixed reviews. Hubby loved it. I didn't. It's tender, but I found it tasteless. Maybe more seasoning just before closing up the packet would have helped.

Lamb Shanks en Papillotes with Leeks, Carrots, Rosemary and Orange
from Fine Cooking Magazine

4 medium leeks (white and light-green parts only), halved lengthwise, washed, and cut into 1-1/2-inch lengths
4 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-1/2-inch lengths
4 (2-1/2-inch) sprigs fresh rosemary
4 (2-1/2- to 3-inch) strips orange zest (use a vegetable peeler)
Crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 lamb shanks (about 1 lb. each), trimmed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
1-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 slices

Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 300°F.

Arrange four 16x16-inch squares of heavy-duty aluminum foil on a work surface. Put one-quarter of the leeks, one-quarter of the carrots, 1 rosemary sprig, and 1 strip of orange zest on each square. Season each with a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Pat the lamb shanks dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering hot. Working in batches if necessary to avoid crowding, brown the shanks on all sides, about 10 minutes total per batch. Transfer 1 shank to each foil square, arranging it on top of the vegetables. Draw up the edges of the foil to capture any juice, but don?t seal the packets yet.

Return the skillet to medium heat, add the vermouth, and bring to a simmer, scraping the skillet with a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat. Portion the vermouth 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 for doneness 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, continue to bake for another 10 minutes and check again.

Transfer the contents of the packets to large plates or pasta bowls, surrounding the shanks with the vegetables and juice. Remove the rosemary and orange zest before serving, if you like.