Mardi Gras Meatwich
Having already introduced you last week to the joys of a po boy, we’ve decided to offer our own contribution to the Mardi Gras canon. This one’s as over the top as anything in New Orleans, but brought to you by a bunch of Midwesterners. Let us know how we did.
Make sure to get plenty of goat cheese – the creamy goat cheese and salty ham really cuts the fatty richness of the lamb shank. Extra wouldn’t be a bad thing.
It sounds fancy, but “chiffonade” just means rolling the leaves up like a cigar and slicing it into thin ribbons.
Don’t skip out on the arugula or shallot rings. The rings add a nice texture, and the arugula’s bitterness adds a whole new dimension.
You can get good pretzel roll’s at Gene’s (or, I’m guessing, a bunch of places that sell Turano breads) or at Trader Joe’s. They’re pretty superb – like the meat of buns.
Mardi Gras Meatwich Recipe
By Published: March 8, 2011
Having already introduced you last week to the joys of a po boy, we've decided to offer our own contribution to the Mardi Gras …
Ingredients
- 2 lb lamb shank
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 pretzel rolls
- 1 medium white onion diced rough
- 1 medium carrot sliced
- 3 cloves garlic sliced thin
- 1 cup (plus 2 tbsp) dry red wine
- 1 quart beef stock
- 2 ribs celery sliced
- 2 shallots sliced into rings
- 1/4 cup flour
- Grapeseed or vegetable oil
- 1 bunch arugula washed and stemmed
- 8 oz goat cheese softened
- 2 tbsp fresh basil cut into chiffonade
- 2 oz thin-sliced country ham or Serrano cut into strips
- Salt and pepper
Steps
- Preheat oven to 225. Pat shank dry, brush lightly with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat with a remainder of olive oil.
- Sear shank for a couple of minutes each side until it's well-seared, about 8-10 minutes total. Turn the heat down if the pot starts to burn. Remove meat to a cutting board.
- Deglaze pot with a bit of red wine and add onions and carrots. Cook until soft and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add celery and cook another two minutes. Add garlic and cook one minute, taking care not to burn.
- Return the meat to the pot and add remainder of red wine. Then pour in beef stock to cover the shank by half.
- Cover the pot and place in the oven. Cook for about three hours, until falling apart.
- While meat is cooking, mix the basil with softened goat cheese and set aside.
- Heat grapeseed or vegetable oil to 325 and toss shallot rings in the flour, shaking off excess. Fry in batches 5-8 minutes, until brown and crispy. Set aside to cool and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- When meat is finished cooking, remove from the pot and place on a cutting board, covered, for 8 minutes.
- Strain the cooking liquid into a bowl and discard the vegetables.
- Uncover the shank and remove the meat from the bone (it'll be really, really easy). Cut or pull into bite-sized pieces and discard the bone.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and cook meat 3-6 minutes, until it gets a bit of texture.
- Pour a cup of the strained stock over the meat, bring to a boil, and let reduce until thick, about 8 minuets.
- Remove meat and wipe out skillet. Heat an additional tbsp of oil, and wilt arugula over medium, about one minute. Remove to a bowl.
- Split pretzel buns and spread both sides with herbed goat cheese.
- Top buns with meat, arugula, shallot rings, and ham. Laissez les bon temps rouler, but prepare for 40 days of Catholic guilt and the advent of another depressing season of Cubs baseball.
