Roasted Lamb Shanks, Macaroni & Cheese Gratin

Before starting this Roasted Lamb Shanks with a Macaroni and Cheese Gratin recipe, make sure you have organised all the necessary ingredients.

Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Tip the macaroni pasta and cook for 3 minutes maximum.

Drain the macaroni and transfer into a bowl filled with water and ice.

Tip the crème fraîche in a large bowl and add half of the grated cheese.

Add the cold pasta...

... then combine gently...

... and cover with cling film. Refrigerate for 12 hours.

For the lamb shanks: Trim away any thick deposits of fat. Place the trimmings together with the bones.

Season the trimmed lamb shanks with salt, pepper and oil on both sides.

Place the bones and trimmings at the bottom of a roasting dish...

... and arrange the lamb shanks on top. Baste with melted butter.

Sprinkle with thyme...

... and cook in the oven at 250°C (gas 9) for about 15 minutes.

For the aromatic garnish: Wash and peel the carrot...

... the garlic clove (remove the central germ)...

... the onion.

Cut the carrot into sticks...

... then into a coarse brunoise.

Repeat the same operation...

... for the onion.

Place the carrot and the onion into a bowl.

Crush the garlic and add to the carrot and onion.

Combine 25 grams of veal stock powder with 1/2 litre of water.

Bring to a boil. Set aside.

Take the lamb shanks out of the oven...

... then flip and baste them...

... and return to the oven at 200°C (gas 6) for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and baste again...

... then return to the oven at 200°C (gas 6) for a further 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven again, flip the lamb shanks...

... and wrap aluminium foil around the bones to prevent them from burning.

Return to the oven at 200°C for a further 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and baste.

Regularly stir the bones and lamb shanks to prevent the cooking juices from burning.

Skim the oil on the surface and leave the cooking juices at the bottom of the dish. Cover with aluminium foil and leave in the oven (turned off) for 30 minutes. The lamb shanks will finish cooking slowly.

Remove the dish from the oven and remove the foil off the bones.

Place the lamb shanks in a cast-iron casserole. Set aside.

Add the vegetable brunoise to the dish used to cook the lamb. Combine the vegetables and bones, scraping the bottom of the pan to get some of the cooking juices. Cook in the oven for 5 minutes.

For the macaroni and cheese gratin: Remove the pasta from the fridge and stir to mix the cream at the bottom of the bowl.

Transfer the macaroni and cream into a gratin dish...

... and distribute the pasta evenly.

Sprinkle the surface with the remaining grated cheese.

Arrange a few shavings of butter (using a peeler) on the surface.

Place in an oven at 180°C (gas 4) and cook for about 10 minutes.

Remove the vegetable brunoise from the oven...

... and add a few thyme sprigs...

... the veal stock...

... then scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to recover the cooking juices.

Place the pan in the oven for 3 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Using a wet brush, wipe the cooking juices on the sides of the dish.

Pour the juice over the cast-iron casserole...

... passing it through a chinois sieve first.

Baste the lamb shanks with the juice.

Cook in the oven for 3 or 4 minutes.

Remove the macaroni gratin and the lamb shanks from the oven. Baste the lamb shanks.

Sprinkle the gratin with Espelette pepper.

Finish by sprinkling both dishes with fleur de sel.
Bon appétit!