Lamb stew with sweet potatoes and red peppers

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6.

2. Season the lamb shanks with salt and freshly ground pepper.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan. Add in lamb shanks and brown on all sides, add in the quartered onion and 8 cloves of garlic and fry until browned too.

4. Transfer to a casserole dish. Add the white wine to the frying pan and cook briefly, scraping the pan with a spatula to deglaze it.

5. Pour the white wine over the lamb shanks and top up with enough vegetable stock to cover the lamb. Add in the thyme and bay leaves, cover and cook in the oven for 1and a half hours.

6. Remove the shanks from the broth, reserving them. Strain the broth into a pan and allow both the broth and shanks to cool.

7. Skim away any fat from the broth, add the rosemary and cook briskly until reduced by half. Check the seasoning and adjust as necessary.

8. Toss the sweet potato, red pepper and remaining garlic cloves with the remaining olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper. Transfer to a casserole dish and bake covered for 30 minutes.

9. When ready to serve, melt the butter in a large heavy-based frying pan. Lightly brown the lamb shanks, add the roast vegetables and reduced broth and simmer until the broth thickens into a sauce coating the vegetables and the lamb is heated through.

10. Serve in bowls garnished generously with chopped parsley.