Slow-cooked lamb shanks in red wine sauce

 Fall-apart meat wrapped around a bone? I'm all in.
Put a magnificent, towering cake piled high with fluffy icing next to a plate of lamb shanks with meltingly tender meat, and I'll go the shanks any day.
Yup, I'm one of those savory-over-sweet people. I'm also an out and proud carnivore to my very core. If I throw a dinner party, there is zero chance that a whole roasted cauliflower will make an appearance as the main. Especially in winter.
The centerpiece will be meat. It will probably be some that have been slow-cooked.
And lamb shanks rate highly on my list of impressive-yet-low-effort food. It looks grand. It's on-trend. Upscale bistros charge a pretty penny for it. It's just mouth-wateringly good (with the added bonus that it's dead easy and very forgiving).

INGREDIENTS

• 5 x 300-350g lamb shanks
• 1½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil, separated (plus more as required)
• 750ml merlot or cabernet sauvignon wine (yes, a whole bottle!)
• 800g can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 500ml (2 cups) low-sodium chicken stock (or veal stock)
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 2 dried bay leaves

To serve

• creamy mashed potato, polenta, or pureed cauliflower
• fresh thyme leaves or finely chopped parsley (optional)

• METHOD

• Preheat oven to 180C (conventional and fan-forced).
• Sprinkle lamb shanks all over with salt and pepper.
• Heat half the oil in a large, heavy-based pot over high heat. Add 3 lamb shanks and brown aggressively all over – this is key for flavor, so don't rush this step.
• Remove shanks. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, then brown the remaining shanks. Set aside.
• Add remaining ingredients to the pot. Stir, then bring to simmer.
• Add lamb shanks, arranging them so the meat is submerged as best you can – it's fine if a bit is above the liquid line, they will shrink as they cook and you can rearrange them midway through.
• Cover with lid and transfer to the oven for 2 hours.
• After 2 hours, remove the lid and check the meat using 2 forks – it should be pretty tender. Bake uncovered for a further 30 minutes.
• Remove lamb shanks, cover, and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, strain sauce into a bowl, pressing out the liquid from the tomato and herbs. It should be a thin, syrupy consistency. If it's too watery, pour it back into the pot and simmer rapidly on a medium-high stove to reduce – it won't take long.
• To serve, place individual lamb shanks on creamy mashed potato (or polenta or cauliflower puree), drizzle with sauce, and sprinkle with thyme or parsley if using.