Beef cheeks in red wine with parmesan potato

Beef cheeks in red wine with parmesan potato Season beef cheeks with salt and pepper. Dust with flour on both sides, shaking off excess. Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan or casserole dish. Add beef cheeks and cook on medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side, or until they are well browned.

Remove meat from pan and add all the vegetables, then the garlic, sage and thyme. Lower heat and cook for 8 minutes. Add wine, cook for 2 minutes, then pour in stock. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and return beef cheeks to pan. Cover with a lid and gently simmer for 2½ hours, until meat is tender. Turn the meat once, about halfway through cooking.

Remove cheeks from pan and strain the sauce through a sieve. Put carrots aside for garnish and discard remaining vegetables. Return sauce to pan and reduce to a thick gravy consistency.

To make the potato purée, cook whole potatoes in boiling salted water until very soft (about 30 minutes). Drain, leave for about 10 minutes until cool enough to handle, then peel and put through a potato ricer or sieve. Warm the cream, add the butter and garlic, then stir into the potato purée with the parmesan. Whisk in the extra virgin olive oil and season to taste with salt and white pepper.

Return beef cheeks and carrots to sauce to reheat, then serve with the potato purée and garnish with deep-fried sage leaves (fry in hot oil for 10 seconds, then drain) and grated horseradish.

From Taste magazine, June 2011.