Braised Lamb Shank with Gremolata

Fact: food tastes better with friends, so here's a one-pot excuse to invite everyone over.

After a month of traveling, cooking, eating and drinking well – and always in good company. I’m reminded of this crowd pleasing Braised Lamb Shank I had promised to share this winter, and the importance of eating with friends. Hospitality is more often used as a term to describe a job and not the intangible meaning of the word, which for me is more a feeling, and something I’ve experienced a lot after traveling in Spain and Austria this past month. For the purpose of this post let’s focus on the latter meaning and it’s a fact that food tastes better with friends and the simple act of inviting someone to dinner is a guaranteed good night. Since arriving back in the states, having spent no meal alone while away, I’m longing for a table full of friends to break bread with, and if I had a kitchen to cook in (mine is under construction) I’d make this for them.

This dish is rustic and impressive all at once, and best served on a cozy winter night. The meat melts off the bone and is roasted with an exotic blend of Moroccan spices, meaty jus and made in one-pot for all you lazy-fancy hosts out there. I like to serve the meat with a buttery rice pilaf, and for leftovers, serve it on-top of fresh pita. Some other tasty sides and dips would be an herby yogurt or tzatziki, or a crunchy fennel & celery salad.