Pier 36, the pub on the pier at Donaghadee, County Down, has been in the capable hands of the Waterworth family since 1999, when the couple decided to move their inland restaurant business to this new seaside location. An instant success, the busy pub is renowned for its home-style cooking, such as its “roast of the day,” a joint of meat slow-roasted in a radiant heat oven known as a Rayburn, or Aga, cooker. This hearty lamb dish served with a red currant glaze is another example. Serve it with Colcannon.
SERVES 4
4 lamb shanks
1 leek (white part only), washed and sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic
3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme
3 to 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 cup dry red wine
One 12-ounce jar red currant jelly
1 In a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat, cover the lamb shanks with cold water. Add the leek, carrots, garlic, thyme, and rosemary, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 2 hours, or until the meat is tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from the heat and let cool for at least 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate the lamb in the stock overnight.
2 Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease an ovenproof baking dish.
3 With a slotted spoon, transfer the shanks to the prepared dish. Bring 2 cups of the stock to a boil. (Discard the rest.) Reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, or until reduced by half. Stir the wine and red currant jelly into the reduced stock and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce starts to thicken.
4 Spoon half the sauce over the shanks and bake for 15 minutes. Turn over, and bake for 15 minutes longer, or until the lamb is heated through and lightly glazed.
5 To serve, place a lamb shank in the center of each of 4 plates and pour some of the remaining sauce over the top.
