When cooked slowly, beef cheeks have the most beautiful gelatinous texture. Swede, not unlike parsnip, brings an earthy flavour to this dish.
Braised beef cheeks with creamed swede
Cook them low and slow, and you'll be rewarded with beautiful fall-apart meat.
- 15 mins preparation
- 3 hrs 50 mins cooking
- Serves 4
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Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 beef cheeks (about 250gm each)
- 3 onions, halved, thinly sliced lengthways
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 3 thyme sprigs
- 375 ml red wine
- 125 ml (½ cup) beef stock
Creamed swede
- 3 swedes (about 1.1kg), coarsely chopped
- 125 ml (½ cup) pouring cream, at room temperature
Method
Main
- 1Preheat oven to 150C. Heat oil in a flameproof casserole large enough to fit beef cheeks snugly. Add cheeks, cook over high heat until browned (3-5 minutes each side), then transfer to a plate. Add onion and garlic to casserole and sauté over low heat until starting to caramelise (8-10 minutes). Return cheeks to casserole, add herbs, red wine and stock, season to taste, then bring to a simmer. Cover, transfer to oven and cook until beef cheeks are tender (3-3½ hours).
- 2Meanwhile, for creamed swede, place swede and enough water to cover in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil over high heat and cook until tender (25-30 minutes). Drain well, pulse in a food processor until smooth, return to saucepan, add cream and stir over medium heat until thick (1-2 minutes). Season to taste.
- 3Divide creamed swede among serving plates, top each with a beef cheek, spoon over braising liquid and serve immediately.
Notes
Drink Suggestion: Big, rich cabernet. Drink suggestion by Max Allen