Roast Lamb Shanks and Lentils

Good stuff, but not a dish I'd consider typically American. The recipe struck me as more French than American. (Don't think I ever had lentils till I was an adult; a shame, since they're tasty, easy, and a good source of nutrition. And don't think I ever saw a lamb shank till we moved to Europe; certainly never cooked one. But I had two in the freezer needing cooking, so here we are.)

I made a half recipe. My two shanks were not a pound each, but 1#10oz in total, with one smaller than the other. Ed's (the bigger one) was pretty rosé, so a bit more time in the oven might be called for.

I used Puy lentils since I seem to have a surplus of those. Next time I might mince a carrot and maybe some celery to sauté with the onions for more flavor and veggie matter in the lentils. We ate a lot of lentils, but still have another serving in the fridge for something else. Think this part could be reduced by a third to serve four.

Instead of cooking the shanks on a rack, I lined the pan with with slices of stale bread (French bread, of course). This meant there were no drippings to add to the lentils, but they were delicious. This is something to do again when roasting meat.

Altogether good, even if it might be improved upon.