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Slow-cooked ox cheek with kale and mashed potato

Preparation time
30 mins to 1 hour

Cooking time
over 2 hours

Serves
Serves 4

By Freddy Bird
From Saturday Kitchen

Ingredients

For the ox cheeks

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 ox cheeks, trimmed and cut in half
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 1 stick celery, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
  • 300ml/10fl oz Pedro Ximenez
  • 2 litres/3½ pints good-quality chicken stock

For the mashed potatoes

  • 1kg/2lb 4oz Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 200g/7oz unsalted butter
  • 300ml/10fl oz double cream
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the kale

  • handful fresh kale, leaves only
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp chives, finely snipped, to serve

Method

  1. To make the ox cheeks, heat a tablespoon of the olive oil in an ovenproof casserole dish. Lightly season the ox cheeks and brown on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

  2. In the same pan, add a little more oil and add the onions, garlic, carrot and celery. Cook slowly over a low-medium heat until caramelised. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook for a further 2 minutes.

  3. Pour in the Pedro Ximenez and simmer until the volume of the liquid has reduced by three quarters, then add the stock. Simmer again until the volume of the liquid has reduced by a third.

  4. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.

  5. Pass the sauce through a sieve into a clean bowl, discarding the vegetables. Return the cheeks to the casserole dish and cover with the sauce. Cook in the oven for 2½ to 3 hours.

  6. After 3 hours cooking, the cheeks should be tender and falling apart and the sauce beautifully glossy. If not. remove the cheeks from the pan, reduce the sauce over a medium heat to a glossy consistency and then return the cheeks to the pan.

  7. Meanwhile, to make the mashed potatoes, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the potatoes and cook for 15 –20 minutes or until soft. Drain and leave to steam dry in the colander.

  8. Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer, add the unsalted butter and cream and beat to a smooth purée. Season with salt and pepper.

  9. Melt the butter in a frying pan and sauté the kale until wilted.

  10. Divide the mashed potatoes between serving plates and top with half an ox cheek. Pile over the kale and spoon over the sauce. Sprinkle with finely chopped chives and serve.

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