Braised Oxtail with Potato Gratin and Roasted Vegetables

Course: Beef, Main Course

Ingredients

Meat

  • 4 lbs Oxtail beef shank can be used as a substitution
  • 1 cup Carrots peeled and diced
  • 1 cup Celery diced
  • 2 cups Onion diced
  • 1/4 cup Garlic cloves
  • 1 cup Tomato diced
  • 3 cups Beef stock
  • 1 cup Red wine dry
  • 1/2 cup Dried blueberries or 1 cup of fresh blueberries
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp Cracked black pepper
  • 1 cup Flour slightly seasoned with salt and pepper

Potato Gratin

  • 4 lbs Potatoes sliced thin lengthwise on mandolin or slicer
  • 1/2 cup Half and half
  • 1/2 cup Heavy cream
  • 4 oz White cheddar cheese shredded
  • 4 oz Pepper jack cheese shredded
  • 2 oz Parmesan cheese shredded
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Roasted Vegetables

  • 3 cups Brussels sprouts
  • 1 cup Carrots peeled and cut into 1/4 inch match sticks
  • 1 Red onion large dice
  • 1 Red pepper large dice
  • 1 tsp Basil fresh

Instructions

  • White a towel, dry off excess moisture on the meat. Lightly coat with seasoned flour salt.
  • In a large skillet heat 4 oz. of cooking oil and brown both sides of the meat. Cook in batches if all doesn't fit in pat at once. Drain out the oil and toss some with the carrots, onion, tomatoes, celery and garlic. Place on a sheet tray and cook in the over at 350 degrees until lightly browned.
  • Deglaze the sauce pan with red wine and simmer, scraping the fond off the bottom of the pan. Add stock and bring to a simmer. Place meat in a braising pan with the liquid and vegetables with a teaspoon of kosher or sea salt, cracked pepper and bay leaf. Cover with foil and put in the oven and cook for 2.5 hours.
  • Check for tenderness by trying to pull meat from the bone. Cook until tender.
  • Puree liquid in a blender or with an immersion blender. Strain and place in a sauce pot and bring to a simmer. Add blueberries and thicken with roux. Season to taste and serve over meat.
  • In a sauce pot, heat the half and half and cream together. Whisk in cheddar and pepper jack cheese and generously season with salt and pepper. You want the sauce to be slightly salty.
  • In a mixing bowl, toss the potatoes with the cream and layer in a baking pan. Cover with foil and bake in 350 degree oven. Uncover and top with Parmesan and bake for 5 minutes longer. Let cool slightly and serve.
  • For the vegetables, lightly toss vegetables in extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on sheet pan in 450 degree oven til brussels sprouts are barely fork tender. Toss with fresh basil and serve.

Notes

By Chef John Varanese