Ingredients
4 x 350g/12oz lamb shanks
250g/9oz rock salt
120g/4oz baby onions, peeled
250g/9oz brown or pink Paris mushrooms, washed
120g/4oz green celery, peeled and washed
120g/4oz medium leek, cut in half and dark leeks removed
½ head garlic, plus ½ head for mashed potatoes
1 bouquet garni (thyme, celery stick, leak, bayleaf, parsley)
2 tbsp strong flour
1 bunch flatleaf parsley
2 litres/3½ pints chicken stock
celery salt and black pepper
To make the mash:
500g/1lb 2oz maris piper potatoes, cut into small dice
100ml/3½fl oz double cream
100g/3½oz unsalted butter
250ml/8fl oz full-fat milk
celery salt, to taste
4 tbsp savora mustard
100g3½oz dried shallots
100g/3½oz wensleydale cheese, grated
Method
1. Soak the lamb shanks in cold water overnight. The next day rub with rock salt and leave in a shallow container for 1 hour and cover with the rest of the rock salt.
2. Brush off the excess salt from the shanks and gently fry in 50g/2oz of unsalted butter. Add half a head of garlic and the bouquet garni (with plenty of parsley stalks). Sprinkle with the strong flour and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the chicken stock and bring it to the boil. Cover with a paper cartouche and cook in the oven 200C/400F/Gas 6 for 1½ hours, then add the celery, leek, baby onions and mushrooms and cook for a further hour or until the meat will come away easily from the bone.
4. Remove the meat from the stock and take it off the bone. (Keep the chunks of lamb covered with cling film to stop them forming skins.)
5. Remove the vegetables from the cooking liquor. Lay the vegetables evenly in a buttered pie dish and scatter the lamb chunks, onions and mushrooms on top (discard the garlic and bouquet garni).
6. Reduce the cooking liquor by two-thirds and add the cream. Bring the sauce to the boil and pass through a fine strainer (reserve some lamb shank bone for garnish).
7. Wash and cut the flatleaf parsley into thin strips and blanch in salted boiling water for 20 seconds. Run the parsley under cold water and then add it to the sauce.
8. Adjust the seasoning with the celery salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the lamb and vegetables and leave to cool.
9. To make the mash, wash the potatoes under cold water. Simmer for 20-25 minutes in a pan with half water and half milk and half a head of garlic and celery salt to taste.
10. Drain the potatoes and allow them to stand until the steam has evaporated. Remove the garlic and mash the potatoes. Add the rest of the butter and 50ml/2fl oz of double cream and adjust the seasoning where necessary.
11. Add the savora mustard, the dried shallots and then pipe the potato mix neatly over the lamb and cover with the grated cheese - insert a lamb bone in the centre of the pie and bake in the oven until golden brown and piping hot.
