Braised Beef Cheeks with Creamed Potato

Serves 1
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Directions

  1. 1Unwrap the beef cheeks.
  2. 2Trim off any excess fat or sinew from the beef cheeks.
  3. 3Place the beef cheeks on a rack over a tray.
  4. 4Season the beef cheeks with Maldon salt.
  5. 5Season the beef cheeks with black pepper.
  6. 6Place the seasoned beef cheeks in the fridge, uncovered, for at least an hour, ideally overnight.
  7. 7Decant red wine into a carafe.
  8. 8Pour some red wine into a glass and take a sip.
  9. 9Remove the beef cheeks from the fridge.
  10. 10Pat the beef cheeks dry.
  11. 11Add olive oil to a hot pot.
  12. 12Sear the beef cheeks in the hot pan for about 2.5 minutes per side until caramelized and golden.
  13. 13Remove the seared beef from the pot.
  14. 14Place the seared beef on a rack over a tray.
  15. 15Chop the carrots.
  16. 16Chop the celery.
  17. 17Halve the shallots.
  18. 18Halve the garlic head.
  19. 19Place chopped carrots, halved shallots, chopped celery, and halved garlic in a bowl.
  20. 20Transfer the chopped vegetables and garlic from the bowl to the hot pot.
  21. 21Sauté the vegetables in olive oil on medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
  22. 22Add half a tube of tomato paste to the softened vegetables and cook for approximately 1 minute.
  23. 23Deglaze the pot with half a bottle of red wine.
  24. 24Mix to combine the ingredients in the pot.
  25. 25Add the seared beef cheeks back into the pot.
  26. 26Cover the beef and vegetables with beef stock.
  27. 27Add rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves to the pot.
  28. 28Bring the mixture to a boil, then drop the heat to a low simmer, cover, and let gently bubble for 4 hours.
  29. 29Peel the potatoes.
  30. 30Cut the potatoes into chunks.
  31. 31Place the potato chunks in a pot of water.
  32. 32Season the potatoes with black pepper.
  33. 33Boil the potatoes until tender.
  34. 34Remove the cooked beef from the pot.
  35. 35Cover the cooked beef with foil.
  36. 36Strain the liquid from the pot into another pot.
  37. 37Reduce the strained liquid by half.
  38. 38Pour the reduced liquid into a measuring cup.
  39. 39Press the boiled potatoes through a potato ricer into a bowl.
  40. 40In a separate pot, heat double cream and butter on medium heat until emulsified.
  41. 41Season the cream and butter mixture with black pepper.
  42. 42Add chives to the cream and butter mixture and whisk.
  43. 43Pour the warm cream mixture over the mashed potatoes.
  44. 44Mix the mashed potatoes until the cream is incorporated and season to taste.
  45. 45Add the reduced braising liquid to a pan.
  46. 46Add the beef back into the pan with the reduced sauce to warm it up.
  47. 47Baste the beef in the sauce.
  48. 48Add a knob of butter to the reduced sauce and whisk.
  49. 49Lay down a base of creamed potato on a plate.
  50. 50Place the beef on top of the creamed potato.
  51. 51Spoon over the sauce onto the beef.
  52. 52Cover the dish in chopped chives.

Ingredients

  • 2 large beef cheeks
  • Maldon salt
  • black pepper
  • 4 chopped carrots
  • 5 halved shallots
  • 3 chopped celery
  • 1 head halved garlic
  • olive oil
  • 0.5 tube tomato paste
  • 0.5 bottle red wine
  • beef stock
  • rosemary
  • thyme
  • bay leaves
  • potatoes
  • 500 ml double cream
  • 5 tbsp butter
  • chives

Equipment

knifecutting boardbaking traypottongswhiskpotato ricerstrainerspoonplate

Tips

  • Beef cheeks are ideal for slow braising due to their tenderness.
  • For the finishing sauce, reduce the braising liquid until thick and add butter for gloss.
  • Cab-Sauv blends are good red wine options for deglazing.
  • Cover the beef with foil after removing from the pot to keep it warm.
  • For smoother mashed potatoes, blitz them after boiling.
  • When mashing the potatoes, add warm cream and mix until incorporated, then season to taste.
  • Add a knob of butter at the end to the sauce for extra gloss and richness.
  • When serving, lay down a base of creamed potato, followed by the beef, spoon over the sauce, and cover in chopped chives.
  • You can leave the beef in the fridge uncovered for at least an hour, ideally overnight after seasoning for better results.

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