lamb fat trimmings or diced lamb fat, to roast with the bones (see sauce for amount to emulsify)
1 large onion
1.5 carrots, large chunks
1.5 stalks celery, large chunks
1.5 cloves garlic, bashed
1.5 sprigs rosemary
2 bay leaves
1.33 L chicken stock
1.5 anchovies
1.68 g black peppercorns
Sauce
2 shallots, finely sliced
33 g butter
3.4 ml red wine vinegar
100 ml Madeira
100 ml white wine
0.67 L lamb cooking stock (from the braise)
27 g rendered lamb fat (strained from roasting; from bones and trimmings)
3 g rosemary leaves, picked
3 g thyme
1.5 g black peppercorns
Glaze
20.0 g Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
Brine And Braise
Bring about 670 ml of the water and all the salt to the boil, stirring to dissolve.
Drop in the thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and peppercorns, remove from the heat and add the remaining water; leave to cool to room temperature.
Trim the thin ends of the lamb shanks to expose the bone of each one, scraping about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of each bone.
Add the shanks and the brine to a large bowl or tub, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24.
Remove the shanks, pat dry and discard the brine.
Set an oven to 180 °C.
Tip the lamb bones and lamb fat into a roasting tray, toss with 30.0 ml olive oil and a pinch of salt and roast for 30 minutes or until a deep gold.
Remove from the oven, transfer the bones to a deep casserole dish, keeping the rendered fat to one side for later.
Turn the oven down to 140 °C for braising.
Add a good splash of oil to a frying pan or skillet and on medium heat brown the shanks well on all sides. Transfer to the casserole dish.
Chop the onion, carrots and celery into large chunks and bash the garlic cloves.
Add them to the frying pan and sauté on medium-high heat until starting to colour but not soft.
Transfer to the casserole with the rosemary, bay leaves, peppercorns, anchovies and chicken stock, topping up with water if necessary to cover everything.
Cover with a cartouche and a lid and bake for about 2 hours or until the meat is tender but not falling apart completely.
Leave to cool in the stock before gently lifting out the shanks; keep them in a warm place.
Strain the stock into a bowl and discard the bones and vegetables.
Pass the reserved lamb fat through a fine sieve. Set aside.
Sauce
Finely slice the shallots.
Melt the butter in a sauté pan and fry the shallots on medium-high heat until golden.
Deglaze with the red wine vinegar, Madeira and white wine and reduce to a syrup consistency.
Add the lamb stock and reduce to a light sauce consistency.
Pass through a fine sieve into a clean pan.
Set aside about 130 ml of the sauce for the glaze.
On medium-low heat, whisk in the lamb fat until fully emulsified.
Add the rosemary, thyme and peppercorns, turn off the heat, cover and infuse for 10 minutes.
Pass through a fine sieve and keep warm.
Glaze And Finish
On medium-high heat, reduce the reserved sauce with the Worcestershire sauce until syrupy.