Braised Lamb Shanks With Winter Squash and Red Chard

I've only made this once and it was amazing!!! I found it on the cover of Bon Appetit in October of 2000. Really good hearty, homey meal for the cold months. Not too difficult to prepare either.

• Ready In: 3 hrs 15 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• Lamb and Squash

• 4 3⁄4 lbs lamb shanks
• 2  tablespoons  oil
• 4  tablespoons butter
• 1 1⁄2 cups  chopped onions
• 1  cup  chopped carrot
• 1  cup  chopped parsnip
• 4  sprigs thyme
• 2  whole garlic heads, unpeeled, horizontally cut in half
• 1  cup dry red wine
• 5  cups  chicken stock or 5  cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1  large orange, peel and pith removed, quartered
• 2  whole cinnamon sticks
• 2  teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed
• 1 3⁄4 lbs  butternut squash, quartered lenthwise, seeded
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1  medium  fresh fennel bulb
• 2  teaspoons  grated  orange rind

• Chard

• 2  bunches red swiss chard
• 2  tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
2. Sprinkle lamb on all sides with salt and pepper.
3. Heat oil in heavy large pot over high heat.
4. Add lamb, cook until brown turning occasionally; about 10 minutes.
5. Transfer to plate.
6. Add 1 Tbls butter to dripping in pot.
7. Add onions, carrots, parsnips, thyme and garlic.
8. Sauté until vegetables soften and begin to brown.
9. Add wine, boil until reduced almost to a glaze; about 4 minutes.
10. Return lamb to pot, arrange in single layer.
11. Add stock, orange, cinnamon and 1 tsp fennel seeds, bring to a boil.
12. Place pot in the oven.
13. Braise lamb uncovered until tender, turning and basting often; about 2 hours and 15 minutes.
14. Meanwhile, rub cut sides of squash with 1 Tbls butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
15. Arrange squash, skin side down on a baking sheet.
16. Roast on sheet alongside lamb until tender; about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
17. Scrape squash from skins into a bowl.
18. Add nutmeg and 2 Tbls of butter.
19. Mash with a fork until almost smooth, season with salt and pepper.
20. Transfer lamb to a plate, strain braising liquid into a bowl; spoon off the fat if desired. Return liquid to pot.
21. Add fresh fennel, orange peel and 1 tsp fennel seeds.
22. Simmer until fennel is tender and sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon.
23. Rewarm lamb shanks, covered, over medium heat; about 15 minutes.
24. Rewarm squash in a saucepan over low heat, stirring often; about 10 minutes.
25. While the lamb and squash heat, cut out the center stem from the chard leaves, discard.
26. Coarsely tear the leaves.
27. Melt butter in a heavy skillet over high heat.
28. Add chard and toss until it wilts; about 4 minutes.
29. Season with salt and pepper.
30. Divide chard and squash among 4 plates.
31. Arrange the lamb atop the vegetables, spoon sauce with fennel over the top.