Slow-braised beef with swede and carrot mash
A long, slow braise that needs almost nothing from you once it is in the oven
most of it unattended, once the oven is on
Doubles well in a bigger casserole. The braise itself needs no extra time. Freezes in portions for up to three months, beef and mash separately.
Some cuts of beef only get better the longer you leave them alone, and braising beef is one of them. Trimmed of every scrap of fat and gristle, then browned hard and left in a low oven for two hours, it goes from something you would need a good knife for to something a fork breaks apart on its own. Swede and carrot, peeled and boiled until they give no resistance at all, make a mash that is naturally smoother than potato once it is beaten with butter, with no sieve required. The gravy comes from the cooking liquid itself, thickened at the end with a little cornflour. Once it is in the oven there is nothing to do until the timer goes.
Ingredients
Contains: Milk, Celery
- 450 gbraising beef, trimmed of fat and gristle, cut into 3 cm chunks
- 1 tbspvegetable oil
- 100 mlpassata
- 400 mlclear beef stock, strained, or a good stock cube
- 400 gswede, peeled and cut into 2 cm chunks
- 300 gcarrot, peeled and cut into 3 cm chunks
- 30 gunsalted butter
- 1.5 tbspcornflour, slaked in a little cold water
- salt
Method
Heat the oven to 150°C fan (170°C). Brown the beef in the oil in a large flameproof casserole over a medium-high heat, in two or three batches, 3 to 4 minutes a batch, until deep brown on all sides, and set it aside on a plate.
Return all the beef to the pan, pour in the passata and stock, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and transfer to the oven for 2 hours, until the beef falls apart under the side of a spoon with no resistance. Give it another 30 minutes if it is not there yet.
About 30 minutes before the beef is ready, put the swede and carrot in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until they are completely soft and a knife meets no resistance.
Drain the swede and carrot well and mash them smooth, or blend for a finer texture. Beat in the butter and season with salt.
A stick blender gives the silkiest result if the roots are giving you any stringy patches.
Lift the beef out of its liquid with a slotted spoon and set aside. Skim any fat from the surface of the liquid, then whisk in the cornflour paste and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until it coats the back of a spoon. Return the beef to the gravy and season with salt.
Serve the beef and gravy over the swede and carrot mash.
Watch-points
- Trim the beef of every scrap of fat and gristle before it goes into the pan, and cook it low and slow until a fork meets no resistance. That is what makes tough meat safe to eat here.
- Peel the swede and carrot and boil them until completely soft, then mash or blend them smooth so no fibre survives.
- Use a beef stock that is clear and strained, with no vegetable pieces in it.
Make it more nourishing
- Beat 30 g of extra butter into the mash once the roots are drained.
- Stir 2 tablespoons of double cream into the mash instead of some of the butter.
- Add 1 tablespoon of skimmed milk powder to the gravy as it thickens. You will not taste it.
Swaps
- Instead of braising beef, use diced lamb shoulder
- takes the same slow cook and turns equally tender
- Instead of passata, use a little more stock
- a lighter gravy, if you would rather leave the tomato out