Braised Beef with Bean Mash
Braised Beef with Bean Mash is a dish that's perfect. Starting with the preparation of beef, the process involves browning lardons or bacon to render fat, followed by searing cubes of chuck steak or beef shin. The meat is then slow-cooked with carrots, onions, mushrooms, and garlic in a mixture of beef stock and Worcestershire sauce. Parallelly, white-bean colcannon is prepared by puréeing white beans with milk and folding in finely chopped kale and spring onions. Once the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened, it's served atop the bean mash. Topped with freshly chopped parsley, this dish combines the essence of traditional cooking.
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 150 g Lardons or Bacon
- 1 kg Steak or Beef Shin
- 3 Medium Carrots
- 2 Onions
- 300 g Button Mushrooms
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 500 ml Beef Stock
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 x 400 g tins White Beans
- 30 ml Milk
- 100 g Kale
- 5 Spring Onions
- Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Preheat Oven:
Start with the sticky braised beef. Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas 2.
- Sauté Bacon:
Add half of the olive oil to a flameproof and heatproof casserole dish over medium heat. Sauté the lardons or bacon. Remove from the dish.
- Brown Beef:
Season beef chunks with salt. Brown them in batches in the dish until a good crust forms. Avoid overcrowding the pan. Remove browned meat and set aside. Add more olive oil.
- Sauté Vegetables:
In the same dish, add remaining olive oil and sauté carrots, onions, mushrooms, and garlic.
- Combine Ingredients:
Return bacon and meat (with any juices) to the dish. Stir in stock and Worcestershire sauce.
- Braise:
Bring the stock to a boil, then cover the dish and place it in the preheated oven for 2 hours.
- Reduce Sauce:
After 2 hours, uncover the dish and bake for another hour to reduce the sauce.
- Check Doneness:
Meat should flake apart, and vegetables should be soft. If not done, return to the oven or use a slow cooker.
- Prepare Colcannon:
For the white-bean colcannon, purée beans with milk until smooth using a blender or food processor.
- Cook Kale:
Cook kale in a saucepan until softened. Add bean purée, spring onions, and heat through. Adjust consistency with water or milk if needed. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve:
Spoon sticky braised beef over white-bean colcannon and sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.
