Lamb Shanks in Red Wine Sauce

• 4lamb shanks — 1600 g
• 1 tspEACH cooking/kosher salt and pepper
• 2–3 tbspolive oil — separated
• 1onion (brown, yellow or white)
• 3garlic cloves — minced
• 1 cupcarrot — peeled, finely diced
• 1 cupcelery — finely diced
• 2½ cupsred wine — full-bodied
• 800 gcrushed tomatoes — canned, 28 oz
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 2 cupschicken stock, low sodium — or water
• 5sprigs of thyme — fresh, or dried thyme
• 2dried bay leaves — or fresh bay leaves

To Serve:

• —Mashed potato — or polenta or pureed cauliflower
• —Fresh thyme leaves — optional