Port Braised Lamb Shanks

4 lamb shanks, about 400 g each (Note 1)
½ tsp SIDS CRAZY SALT
SIDS SALT & PEPPER to taste
2 tbsp rice bran oil, separated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
3 tbsp flour
2 cups beef stock
3 cups port (Note 2)
1½ cups red wine
3 tbsp tomato paste
5 sprigs thyme or 2 tsp dried thyme
3 dried bay leaves (or 5 fresh)
4 stalks fresh parsley

Season lamb with SIDS CRAZY SALT, SIDS SALT & PEPPER.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy based pot over high heat. Add 2 lamb shanks and cook, turning, until browned. Remove then repeat with remaining lamb.
Turn heat down to medium. Add remaining 1 tbsp oil, garlic, onion, carrot and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until onion is softened. Add flour. Mix into onion mixture. Add remaining ingredients. Mix - lumps are ok, they will dissolve while cooking.
Add lamb back in - the meat should be mostly submerged. Bring to simmer, then turn heat down to medium low and cover with lid.
Simmer for 2 hours (Note 4) then remove lid and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove lamb into a bowl.
Optional: Strain sauce in Dutch oven into a bowl. Use spoon to press into onion etc to squeeze out all the flavourful liquid. Pour sauce into Dutch oven. (Note 5)
Skim excess fat off sauce.
Increase heat to medium high and reduce liquid by half until it thickens to a syrup consistency.
Return lamb shanks and juices pooled in the bowl into sauce to reheat, then serve with creamy mashed potato, garnished with parsley.
RECIPE NOTES:
1. Lamb shanks come in all manner of sizes and cuts. Go for lamb shanks of a suitable size per serving, bearing in mind the size of your pot and that they will shrink by about 25% when cooked. Some lamb shanks come with the bone partially cut so they bend to fit into the pot, which is helpful. My lamb shanks were about 400 g each and 4 fit inside a standard Dutch oven, mostly submerged. They don't need to be full submerged in the liquid as the steam will cook the exposed surface (as well as browning them nicely) and they should be turned while cooking.
ALTERNATE PROTEINS: This recipe is also be sensational made with beef cheeks and chunky beef ribs. It was a toss up which version to share, but I went for shanks because I think it looks grand!
2. There is no need to use expensive port and wine for this. It will taste lovely even using discount end of line bottles which I use, however, if you do use expense bottles, then of course it will give it an edge. But I do not. I honestly believe that for slow cooked things, you can barely tell the difference whether you use expensive or discount liquour.
You can use ruby or tawny port. By the time this has slow cooked, there is not much difference between the two except that ruby gives you a slightly redder sauce because ruby port is redder than tawny which is a deep brown colour. (Ruby port is younger, tawny is aged)
3. Using red wine instead of more beef stock gives this a slight edge in the depth of flavour of the sauce, but not much. I often make it without red wine, using more beef stock instead.
4. This step can be done in a 160°C oven (covered with foil or lid) for 2 hours covered then 30 minutes uncovered. Reduce sauce on the stove per recipe, or cook in a slow cooker on LOW for 8 hours, then follow recipe to reduce sauce on the stove.
5. Straining the sauce makes it "restauranty" by making it lump free. This step is optional.
6. This gets better overnight. To make ahead, follow the entire recipe then let cool, then refrigerate overnight in the Dutch oven. Scrape fat off surface. Reheat on the stove or at 180°C in oven for 15 minutes. (covered)
7. To make this gluten free, omit the flour. When the lamb is cooked, remove it, then mix 2 tsp cornflour with 2 tbsp water. Add into the sauce, mix and let it thicken.
8. Nutrition does NOT take into account fat skimmed off the sauce. If you leave this overnight, you will get more fat out of the sauce.