Braised Lamb Shanks with Truffled Potatoes - 1, 2, 3...YUMMM!

Okay, so I think that it is essential to share the secret to the sauce with all of you hungry people. After spending a little (too much) on myself for the holidays, subtle reference to Ella Louise the Le Creuset dutch oven, things got pretty heated in my kitchen.   
These French cast iron pots are pure magic, intended to craft and cook the most delicious of delicacies. After debating for a while as to what to cook in it first, I finally decided on lamb shanks and left the rest blank. 

It all somehow came together, bit by bit, spice by spice. Just go with it, cooking requires love. Where I am from, lamb kind of a big deal. Why not though? It is delicious, this is coming form someone that was pretty much a pure vegetarian for a while (darn you bacon, you gateway drug). You know what else is simply outstanding? Truffle(s), truffle oil, all edible items truffled-up if you will. So, this is what happened...I went to the grocery store and purchased the following pseudo-extensive list of items:

Lamb shanks (however many you can find, the less fatty the better)
Salt & peppa'
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 yellow onions, diced
1 cup of spinach (fresh or frozen)
1 cup of baby carrots
lots and lots of garlic (fighting vampires)
2 cups of full bodied red wine (Carmen Reserva 2009, Chile in my case)
1 table spoon of rosemary
1 table spoon of thyme
1 table spoon of oregano
1 bay leaf
2 cups of diced tomatoes                                                                                       
2 cups of beef stock (use beef, not chicken)                                                                                  
1 bag of red potatoes                                                                                   
1 bag of small yellow potatoes

The next day:
I warmed up the dutch oven on the stove top meanwhile preheating the oven to 400F.
Throw a little olive oil on the warming surface and brown all of the shanks on both sides (about 7 minutes of cooking time). Set them aside and cover with foil. Let them soak in the heat and relax a bit.
In the meantime, return the dutch oven back to the stove top and add the spinach, onions, and carrots to cook. Stir them a bit, about 8 minutes of cooking time. Add the garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Add the cup of wine and stir everything around for a bit. Starting to smell good, right? eee!
Add the rosemary, thyme, beef stock, and the tomatoes. Add the shanks to the mix.
Get everything boiling and close up the lid. Place carefully in the oven. Keep in mind that the cast iron gets super HOT.

Everything has to cook for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, the meat should be falling off the bone. Right when you get up to an hour, add the potatoes in the oven to bake. For those, wash and cut. Throw on a baking sheet and drizzle truffle oil and pepper. Roast for the remaining 45 minutes. After everything is done, add the potatoes to the pot and stir everything around a little, let the flavors fuse! Va-va-voom! If it doesn't taste good for some reason, you probably forgot the key ingredient...a lotta love. Oops.

My boyfriend raved about this a great bit, guess it was decent ;)