Our family, like most, has tried-and-true holiday traditions that we follow and cherish each year. Not surprisingly, many of my family’s holiday rituals center on food. I love the personal culinary challenge of presenting a new dish to see if it has what it takes to “make the team” of our beloved holiday menus. In 2020, I perfected an ideal dish for Christmas, Easter and Passover: braised lamb shanks. The pomegranate juice adds a bit of sweetness that brings out the delectable flavor of the lamb. And with this beautiful presentation, no one will believe that it took just 5 minutes to prep. Your family and holiday guests will definitely be impressed with this easy and delicious recipe. It’s destined to be the star of your holiday dinner table.
- 2 cups pomegranate juice
- 1⁄4 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 3 lamb shanks (about 4 pounds)
- In a gallon-sized zip-top bag, mix the pomegranate juice, honey, rosemary, salt and garlic. Add the lamb shanks to the bag, and, if possible, let them marinate for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- In a Dutch oven, place the lamb shanks with their marinade, and add 1⁄2 cup (120 ml) of water.
- Cover the pot, and bake for 3 hours.
- You can also make this in a slow cooker: Place the lamb shanks with their marinade in a slow cooker, and add in 1⁄2 cup of water. Cover, and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours.
- Lamb shanks are wrapped in many layers of plastic, make sure to remove all layers before cooking.
- This dish is best served over a bed of mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach.
- Before serving, drizzle with fresh or frozen pomegranate seeds.
blondieaka says
I love Lamb and it is one of the meats I miss as I cannot get it here very occassionally you see imported lamb but very expensive. But a lovely sounding recipe 🙂
Stuart Forster says
Looks a delicious dish and I like how you’ve made the recipe easy to follow.
angie says
this looks very tasty so glad there are awesome dishes that are available on a healthy diet thanks for sharing
Laura O'Neill (@LauraOinAK) says
Thanks so much for adding this to the 40 Days of Seeking Him linkup last week.
I know my husband will LOVE to try this soon. He’s a big lamb fan.
Also, you are one of the featured posts for this week’s anchor. If you have anything else that fits for the last days of Lent or Easter, feel free to add it here:
http://daybydayinourworld.com/2017/04/40-days-seeking-holy-week-2017/
Jenn says
These look amazing! Have you ever tried it without honey? My husband and I are on the Keto diet so we can’t have added sugar. I would love to make this!
Momma Chef says
Hi Jenn,
You can absolutely make this without honey, but if you are on a Keto diet you would need to make it without the pomegranate juice as well since that has sugar in it. But, I do have many keto-friendly recipes on my blog, under my low-carb section (lemon-herb chicken, cauliflower, etc..) here is the link. Enjoy! https://mommachef.com/category/low-carb/
wegowithkids says
This looks amazing, and my kids love pomegranate. I’m certain I couldn’t get that presentation in five minutes, though!
Amanda says
I love the tangy sweetness of pomegranate. These lamb shanks look delicious.
Amber says
Pomegranate, garlic and rosemary are some of my favorite things! This would be great to serve for company because it is simple, has great flavor profile and has great presentation!
Jazz says
I love the simplicity of this dish–and even better that it looks so gourmet!
michelle says
What an amazing recipe for lamb. Would’ve never thought of pomegranate!!
Kate Andrews says
I absolutely love pomegranates! Great idea.
melissamarieblog says
Yum! This looks delicious. I have never made a lamb dish before, but I definitely want to try this one! It looks fairly easy too!
mammabearsays says
these look so delicious. i love lamb.
Maria says
omg my mouth is watering, this looks SO good!!