A chef can choose the best sauce for lamb shanks by thinking about the specific tastes of his or guests, looking at the specific mixture of ingredients used in the sauce, and using sauces which are complementary to lamb shank. Common sauces served alongside lamb shank include red wine sauce, mint and redcurrant jus, and cranberry sauce. Other possible sauces can be made from a mixture of passata and chicken stock, and some cooks even use a Thai style curry sauce. Chefs should consider which sauce is likely to be well received by the majority of his or her guests.
Several sauces are already established as accepted accompaniments to lamb shank, and using one of these is easier for chefs cooking lamb shank for the first time. When the chef becomes more familiar with the flavors which complement lamb, he or she can choose more freely, or even create a new sauce. One of the most common choices of sauce for lamb shanks is red wine sauce, so this may be a good choice for the first timeer. It is important for the chef to think about his or her guests when choosing a sauce, so a different sauce may be chosen if most guests do not like red wine, for example.
Chefs should take special note of recipes which incorporate fresh ingredients such as onion and garlic in sauces, because these are likely to hold more vibrant flavors. Herbs such as rosemary are included in red wine sauce, and fresh herbs are usually preferable to dried ones. Recipes including dried herbs can generally be improved with the use of fresh herbs if possible.
The specific mixture of ingredients used in a sauce for lamb shanks should be looked at by the chef if he or she wishes to choose the best possible sauce. For example, a chef may decide to serve a red wine sauce with the meat, but it is still beneficial to look at several different recipes for red wine sauce before cooking. Some recipes are likely to include different ingredients, and those ingredients may add another flavor that the chef or the guests would be fond of. Using several recipes for the same sauce can help chefs determine the best mixture of ingredients.
Less common sauces, although they may push the boundaries of the diners’ palates, can be used to create a memorable dish. One possible sauce uses passata, which is a tomato cooking sauce, chicken stock, white wine, and balsamic vinegar. The meat is cooked in the sauce so that its natural juices combine with the ingredients. Another type of sauce for lamb shanks is Thai curry sauce, which is made with cumin, coriander, Thai fish sauce, and ginger.
