A quick aside

This past Saturday was my girlfriend's birthday so I decided to make braised lamb shanks (from the shop) for the occasion. I want to quickly share this recipe both because it was delicious but it was also simple:

I rubbed two lamb shanks with a Quatre Epices - equal parts cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and all spice (all ground), salt and pepper. The shanks went into a 450 degree oven for 1 hour and then were removed to deglaze the pan with 1 cup of port. I returned the shanks to the pan, added 1 quart of chicken stock and covered for another 1 1/2 hour of braising. When finished I plated the shanks over mash potatoes and spooned the juices from the pan over everything. That's it. Delicious!