Tagine Style Lamb Shanks with Prunes and Carrots

As I often do when preparing to execute a recipe I looked around online at examples of this traditional tagine combination.  What struck me was that so many recipes made things very complicated, using many pans etc.  To me, a tagine is a "simple" one pot dish.  This is my version.  Simple. One pot. Delicious and complex.

4 lamb shanks
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 med onion, chopped in 1/2 inch dice
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
one pinch of saffron (optional)
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp ground ginger
4 large carrots
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup prunes
2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds

Heat vegetable oil in Creuset style dutch oven.  Dry lamb shanks and salt and pepper liberally.  Sear the lamb shanks so that they are nicely brown on each side.  Remove from the pan and set aside.  Add onion, garlic, cilantro, saffron, cinnamon stick and ginger to the pot and reduce heat.  Sweat these ingredients over low heat until the onion is soft.  Add carrots and combine and let cook another 5 minutes.  Add in white wine and scrape any crusty stuff off the bottom of pan.  Add in the chicken stock and raise heat to bring ingredients to a boil.  Place lamb shanks back into pot making them submerged up to half of their height and place lid on pot.

Place in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.  Pull out pot, turn shanks over and again submerge them half way in liquid.  Add in prunes to liquid.  Put back in oven for another 45 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees, turn the shanks one more time and cook for 30 minutes more.  Remove from oven and let sit at least 15 minutes still covered.  Serve over couscous, basmati rice or polenta and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over top of the shanks.