For the lamb shanks, brown on all sides in a large soup/braising pot in vegetable oil over medium heat. Remove from pot once browned. Add the halved garlic bulb and herb sprigs. Pour in the wine, stir for a couple of seconds to pick up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, then add the chicken stock and tomato paste and bring to a high simmer. Taste broth for seasoning and adjust as needed. Return shanks to pot with any accumulated liquid, reduce heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook until a paring knife inserted into the thickest part of the shank meets no resistance, about 3 hours or so.

For the polenta, bring the stock to a simmer over medium-high heat. Whisk in the polenta, and continue whisking until it begins to thicken, then turn the heat to low and let it gently bubble until cooked (check by tasting, the texture should be smooth, not gritty, and time depends on how fine the grind of your polenta). When polenta is cooked, stir in the sour cream and the herbs and taste for seasoning, adjusting as needed.

For the vegetables, heat olive oil in a large sautee pan over medium heat. Add asparagus and toss, seasoning with a sprinkle of kosher salt, and cook for about a minute (longer if using thicker spears). Add the sliced ramps, toss with the asparagus, and cook for another minute, until just starting to soften. Toss in the blanched fiddleheads and continue cooking until vegetables are hot, just another couple of minutes. (Aim to cook vegetables close to plating time to keep the asparagus from getting too mushy.)

For the finish drizzle, combine the herbs, capers and lemon juice in a small bowl, and stir in the olive oil. The capers should provide sufficient salt for this “salsa verde,” but taste and adjust as needed.

To plate, divide the polenta among four plates. Spoon the vegetables over the polenta, and then carefully lift a lamb shank on top of each. Spoon some of the now-reduced braising liquid over each plate, and then drizzle with the olive oil-herb mix. Serve and enjoy!