If you have a day to devote to dinner, try these shanks as a slowly braised dish that is decadent with roasted root vegetables and mashed potatoes. Use one shank (or around one pound) per person; rub them dry and then in salt, pepper and flour and brown them in a hot, oiled skillet for a few minutes per side. Move the shanks to a roasting pan and add two cups of broth or water to the skillet to scrape up any browned bits. You’ll add that broth along with four cloves of garlic, lemon zest, thyme sprigs if you have them (or dried, ground thyme if not), a couple of bay leaves, 3 chopped carrots and 1 chopped celeriac into the roasting pan. Cover the pan and cook at 350 for two to three hours until the meat is tender. Skim off any fat from the top and let the dish cool completely before setting it in the refrigerator for around six hours. Get the oven going back to 350 degrees and again, skim off any fat from the surface. Flip the shanks over and cook them for another hour. Then, transfer the shanks and vegetables to a serving dish and keep them warm, while pouring your pan juices into a pot. You want about a half cup of sauce per shank, so if you have more, reduce the sauce, and if you have less, add more broth or water and simmer for a bit. Squeeze a cooked garlic clove along with a tablespoon of lemon juice into the sauce. Incorporate and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve the shanks with mashed potatoes or sunchokes with the sauce poured over everything.
