Ossobuco is a traditional Italian dish that’s incredibly delicious and impressive, yet fairly simple to prepare. A typically tough crosscut from the leg bone, beef shanks are best when slow cooked. Ossobuco, meaning “hole in bone” provide a ton of succulent, nutrient-rich bone marrow ready to devour after a low and slow braise. Ossobuco is excellent served over polenta, risotto, or in this case, herb infused buttery mashed potatoes. We put a spin on the classic parsley, lemon zest, and garlic gremolata (garnish) – swapping lemon for orange zest, and adding basil. Don’t skip this step, as this rich dish really benefits from the pop of citrus and fresh herbs.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

For the Ossobuco

• 4 1915 Farm Ossobuco Beef Shanks
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 dry bay leaf
• 2 whole cloves
• Small piece of cheesecloth
• Kitchen twine
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• ½ cup avocado oil, or your preferred high-heat neutral oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1-2 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade from your 1915 Farm chicken bones ;)

 For the Orange Basil Gremolata (garnish)

• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
• 4-5 leaves fresh basil, chiffonade
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
• Zest of half an orange
• Flakey finishing salt, such as Maldon (optional – found at most grocery stores

For the Mashed Potatoes

• 4 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
• Kosher Salt
• 1 ½ cups whole milk
• 4 sprigs thyme
• ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
• Freshly ground black pepper 

INSTRUCTIONS

For the Ossobuco –

Preheat oven to 300°

Cut a small piece of cheesecloth, place the rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, and cloves inside and tie with kitchen twine. This is called a bouquet garni.

Prep the beef shanks next – pat them dry with a paper towel. Dry meat will get a far better sear than meat with too much moisture on the surface. Tie kitchen twine around the meat, securing the meat to the bone. Season each piece of meat with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Dredge the shanks in flour, shaking off excess. The flour helps to get a nice crust when searing the meat, and will also contribute toward a thicker braising liquid for spooning over the finished dish.

In a large Dutch oven over high heat, heat avocado oil until hot. Carefully add ossobuco to the pot, two at a time, until browned on both sides. Remove browned shanks to a plate and set aside. If there is an excess of burned flour in the pot, swipe the pot with tongs and a paper towel to remove. If necessary, add more oil to pot.

In the same pot over medium heat, add the onion, carrot, and celery. Season with kosher salt to draw moisture out of vegetables and aid in caramelization. Sauté until tender and translucent, starting to lightly caramelize, about 10 minutes.

Make a small space in the center of the pot and add the tomato paste. Let sit for a moment or two before stirring into the vegetables. Next, add wine to the pot and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Reduce wine by half, about 5 minutes.

Add the shanks back to the pot, a little overlap is expected and okay. Tuck the bouquet garni into the pot and add chicken broth. The cooking liquid should be covering ¾ of the shank throughout cooking. Bring liquid to a boil, then place lid on pot and transfer to the oven. Braise for 2-3 hours, depending on size of shanks. Check them often, adding more broth if needed. Ossobuco is done when meat is very tender starting to fall off the bone.

For the Mashed Potatoes –

Scrub, peel, and quarter the potatoes. Try to cut similar sized pieces so they cook at the same rate. Fill a large pot with cold water to cover potatoes by an inch or so. Add 1 tbsp. kosher salt, place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. As soon as the water is boiling, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes until a fork easily glides through a piece of potato.

Meanwhile, heat butter, milk, and thyme sprigs over low heat until butter is melted. Stir to combine.

Drain potatoes and return to pot over low heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly to dry potatoes out. This will help them to absorb milk and butter resulting in a smoother final texture.

Pass hot potatoes through a potato ricer into a large bowl (alternatively, use a masher. A potato ricer makes for an incredibly silky puree like mashed potato and is highly recommended). Note – if potatoes are allowed to cool, they will become gummy.

Remove herbs from milk and butter mixture, and gradually add to the potatoes while stirring vigorously. Seasoning with large pinches of kosher salt and pepper along the way. Potatoes need salt, so don’t be shy! Cover bowl with foil to keep warm while preparing to serve.

For the Gremolata –

Just before you’re ready to serve, prepare the gremolata (garnish). Mince parsley, chiffonade basil by stacking leaves on top of each other, then roll tightly and slice. You’ll be left with ribbons of basil. Add to a small bowl. Then, using a microplane or grater, finely grate orange zest and garlic. Add to same small bowl along with a pinch of salt. Stir to combine.

To Serve –

Using tongs, remove bouquet garni and kitchen twine from around the shanks and discard.

To a low rimmed bowl or plate, add mashed potatoes, then ossobuco on top. Ladle juices over everything and garnish with the gremolata and a pinch of flakey salt. Small spoons are helpful for scooping out the succulent bone marrow!

We hope you enjoyed this recipe! If you’d like to share your delicious dish on Instagram, don’t forget to tag us @1915_Farm

P.S. If you love our grassfed ossobuco – consider subscribing to the new Grassroots Meat Club (ships free in TX, reduced in other states). Each box includes a variety of hand-selected grassfed and pasture raised meats, such as chicken breasts, chicken tenders, leg quarters, wings, thighs, drumsticks, whole chicken, ground beef, kabobs, stew meat, stir fry, cutlets, London broil (top round), beef roasts, beef ossobuco, short ribs, various sausages, pork roasts, pork chops, bacon, ground pork, fajita meat, country style ribs, spare ribs, and bacon!

Ossobuco recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis