To prepare oven-baked pork shank with potatoes, start by rinsing and drying the fresh herbs. Take the rosemary, which you'll finely chop along with the juniper berries and sage.
Move on to the potatoes: rinse them under running water and cut each into four pieces if they're large or two pieces if they're small, leaving the skin on. Ensure the potatoes are roughly the same size for even cooking later.
Dice the ingredients for the sauté: combine carrots, garlic, celery, and onion in a food processor.
Pulse the food processor until you get a fine chop, then transfer it to a thick-bottomed, high-sided pan. Sauté the mixture over very low heat with olive oil. While you're preparing the sauté, trim the visible fatty parts from the pork shank.
Once the sauté is ready, add the pork shank to the pan. Brown it well on all sides, turning it several times in the pan with a spatula; the shank will release some liquid during cooking. Season with salt and pepper. Then, flavor it with the chopped herbs.
Finally, add the bay leaves as well. Blend the flavors so that the shank absorbs the aromas. Deglaze with the red wine and let the alcohol evaporate, then pour in the water; the shank should never remain dry to prevent the meat from drying out.
Add the potatoes and simmer over moderate heat for 10 minutes, covering with a lid. The potatoes should become tender without falling apart; the water should evaporate. Remember to turn the shank while it cooks, using spatulas to ensure even cooking. Never use forks to avoid puncturing the meat.
After the cooking time in the pan, transfer the shank, potatoes, and cooking juices to an ovenproof dish, filling it completely with the ingredients. Bake in a preheated static oven at 200°C (392°F) for at least 40-45 minutes (or in a convection oven at 180°C/356°F for about 30-35 minutes, but be more careful not to let the meat dry out). If you notice the shank becoming too dry during oven cooking, add some more water and occasionally turn it to ensure even cooking. However, the cooking time may vary slightly depending on the size of the shank you're cooking. For greater precision, measure the meat's temperature with a probe, which should be between 75°C and 85°C (167°F - 185°F). At the end of cooking, the potatoes should also be tender. After the cooking time, remove the dish from the oven and enjoy your oven-baked pork shank with potatoes while it's still hot!
