Preparation Time: 3 Hours Cooking Time: 3 Hours Serves: 8

Ingredients :

• 3 T sunflower oil
• 6 - 8 large lamb shanks
• 1 cup of flour
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 8 large garlic cloves, smashed
• 4 anchovy fillets
• 1 cup of pitted green olives
• 2 small bay leaves
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• 4 sprigs of rosemary
• 4 T tomato paste
• 1 cup of good red wine
• 3 red peppers, cut up into chunks
• 2 cups of stock, chicken or lamb
• 1 T marmite
• 1 T honey
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, chopped into cubes

Method :

• Light the braai, using hard long burning wood and making sure that you use sufficient wood for a 3 hour coals. This needs about an hour to burn down to coals before you can put the potjie onto it, as otherwise the bottom will catch. Alternatively, set oven onto 140°C.
• Take a cup of flour and season generously with salt and pepper and mix well.
• Add sunflower oil to the flat based potjie on a medium heat on the stove.
• Rub the lamb into the flour mixture to cover, then brown the shanks in batches over a medium heat in the potjie, turning from time to time to brown the outside.
• Remove from the lamb from the pan and put to one side.
• Add in the onions and celery to the same potjie pot and let these cook till slightly glassy, then add the garlic and anchovies and fry for 5 minutes.
• Add the carrots, red peppers, olives and fresh herbs and simmer.
• Now add the tomato paste, honey and marmite along with the red wine and let it cook off for a while, to reduce the alcohol from the wine.
• Now add the stock and stir well, then taste this to see if it needs extra seasoning.
• Add the lamb shanks back into the pot along with the sweet potato and make sure that all is well covered in the liquid.
• You can now put this over the coals of the braai and let it cook gently for 2 -3 hours, or into the oven.
• I know the tradition is to leave the lid on and not touch it, but I do prefer to check every hour to make sure there is enough liquid and that the bottom is not sticking.
• I like to serve this with pap, and a side of a spicy chakala sauce.