Recipe provided by Rustin Joyful Food

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 3-4 Hours

INGREDIENTS

Lamb Filling

• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 3 American lamb shanks 
• 1 white onion, sliced 
• 3 cloves fresh garlic 
• 5-6 dried New Mexico chili pods 
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt 
• 2-3 cups water 

 Taquitos 

•  16 corn tortillas 
• 2 cups neutral oil 
• 4 cups shredded braised American lamb shank 

 Creamy jalapeño & cilantro sauce 

•  1 1/2 cups sour cream 
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1/8th of a white onion 
• 2 green onions 
• 1 jalapeño 
• Juice of one juicy lime 
• Salt and pepper to taste 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. 

Heat a 5-quart enamel coated or heavy bottom baking dish with a lid over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Brown the shanks on all sides, add the onions, garlic, paprika, and dried chilies. Add the water. Place the lid on and braise in the oven 3-4 hours. Check the liquid levels every hour to make sure it hasn’t evaporated. Add more if needed. 

Remove the shaks and allow to cool slightly. Remove the meat and any cartilage from the bones. 

Note: USDA recommends lamb be cooked to an internal temperature of 145F with a 3 minute rest.

To make the taquitos

Heat the oil in a skillet to roughly 300 degrees. Cook each tortilla 10-15 seconds to soften. Remove and place onto a paper towel lined plate to soak up excess oil. 

Lay the cooked tortillas on a board and gently fill with 2 tablespoons of shredded lamb shank. Roll tightly away from yourself.  Repeat this process until you’ve filled all tortillas. 

Gently place the rolled taquitos seam side down in the oil and fry in batches of 5 or 6 roughly 5-7 minutes total. Rotate the taquitos often to brown evenly. 

Remove taquitos and set on a paper towel lined plate to drain excess grease.  

To make the creamy jalapeño & cilantro sauce

 Place all ingredients into a food processor and whirl until smooth. Keeps up to 4 days in the fridge.