Braised Beef Cheeks in Red Wine and Stout Jus

Ingredients

• 2 each beef cheeks, about 300 to 350 g (11 to 12 oz) each, trimmed of silver skin
• Salt, plus black pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp oil for searing (1 to 2 tbsp)
• 2 each carrots, peeled and roughly chopped (2 to 3)
• 4 each shallots, peeled and roughly chopped (4 to 5)
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 each whole garlic bulb, halved horizontally
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 bottle dry red wine (750 ml)
• 1 bottle stout, about 330 to 500 ml, or beef stock
• 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch) mixed with a little cold water, optional (1 to 2 tsp)
• 30 g cold butter, cubed (2 to 3 tbsp) (30 to 40 g)
• Buttery mashed potatoes, to serve, to taste
• Chopped chives, to serve, to taste

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Pat the cheeks dry and trim off any silver skin or gristle.

2. 2

   Salt the cheeks well. Sear them in a very hot ovenproof pan with a little oil until both sides have a deep brown crust. Set them aside.

3. 3

   Lower the heat. Add the carrots and shallots to the same pan and soften them for 5 to 10 minutes, then add the rosemary and the halved garlic bulb.

   5 min
4. 4

   Stir in the tomato paste and cook it for a minute or two to take out the tartness. Pour in the whole bottle of red wine and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

5. 5

   Nestle the cheeks back into the liquid, then top up with the stout (or beef stock) so they're mostly covered.

6. 6

   Lay a cartouche directly on the liquid. That's a circle of parchment with a small hole in the middle. Put the lid on and braise in the oven for about 4 1/2 hours, until the beef pulls apart with a fork. Check once or twice and add a splash of stock or water if it looks dry.

   4 hr 30 min
7. 7

   Lift out the cheeks. Strain the braising liquid through a fine sieve and discard the vegetables.

8. 8

   Pour the strained liquid into a pan and reduce it until it coats the back of a spoon. If you don't want to wait, whisk in the cornflour slurry.

9. 9

   Take the pan off the boil and whisk in the cold butter until the sauce is glossy. Taste and season.

10. 10

    Return the cheeks to the sauce and baste them to heat through. Serve over a big pile of buttery mash, spoon the sauce over and finish with chives.