Ox Shin, Baked Shallot

Meltingly tender braised beef shin with sweet baked shallots, buttery mashed potato and a rich port jus.

A great weekend supper – the beef can be prepared in the morning and left to cook long and slow until ready to serve.

Serve with some pan-fried kale.

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Ox Shin, Baked Shallot
Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the Beef: 4 Beef Shin Portions (Fully Trimmed), 1tbsp Olive Oil, 2 Garlic Cloves, 1 Rosemary Sprig, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, 800ml Beef Stock.

For the Jus: Reserved Beef Stock, 1tbsp Olive Oil, 125ml Port, 3tbsp Unsalted Butter (Cubed), 1 Shallot (Finely Chopped), 1 Celery Stalk (Finely Chopped), 1 Thyme Sprig, 1 Tomato (Chopped), 1tsp Redcurrant Jelly, Sea Salt

For the Mashed Potato: 500g Maris Piper Potatoes (Peeled and Chopped), 200g Unsalted Butter, Sea Salt, Freshly Grated Nutmeg, Cracked Black Pepper

For the Shallots: 4 Banana Shallots, 1tbsp Unsalted Butter, Sea Salt

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Method:

1) Pre-heat the oven to 130c. Place a casserole dish over a medium heat and add a little olive oil. Season the shin portions with sea salt and black pepper. Brown the meat for 3 minutes each side. Add the garlic, rosemary and stock to the pot and bring to the boil. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook for around 6 hours or until the meat is tender without falling apart (possibly longer).

2) Meanwhile, prepare the shallots by peeling and slicing in half vertically. Place on a lined baking tray and add a dot of butter on top of each shallot and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake in the same oven as the beef for around 1 hour or until golden brown and tender. Set aside.

3) Meanwhile, make the mash. Boil the potatoes in a pan of salted water until tender. Strain and pass the potatoes through a potato ricer into a clean pan. Place the pan over a low heat and slowly add the butter whilst mixing to combine until all the butter has fully melted. Continue to beat until the mash is silky smooth. Season to taste with sea salt, cracked black pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. Keep warm.

4) When the beef is cooked, remove from the stock (set the stock to one side) and keep the beef warm in a low oven (covered). Place a medium saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and sauté the shallot and celery for 5 minutes until soft. Add the port and reduce by half. Add the reserved beef stock to the pan with the tomato, thyme and redcurrant jelly and reduce by 2/3 over a high heat. When reduced, whisk in the unsalted butter piece by piece to thicken and enrich the sauce and season to taste with sea salt.

5) Serve the braised shin with a spoonful of mashed potato, the baked shallots and a good amount of jus.

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Enjoy!

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Smoked Pheasant, Citrus, Port

A delicious combination of smoked pheasant breast, braised pheasant leg with walnuts and citrus, celeriac purée, port sultanas and air dried ham.

I smoked these pheasant breasts over a 50/50 mix of oak and birch for 3 hours – imparting a delicate smoke which is definitely evident without overpowering.

This dish is finished with a good drizzle of some exceptional olive oil from Guerrieri Rizzardi.

My recipe for celeriac purée can be found here.

Smoked Pheasant, Citrus, Port
Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the Braised Pheasant Legs: 4 Pheasant Legs, 2 Garlic Cloves, 1l Game Stock, 1tbsp Walnuts, Zest 1 Lemon, Zest 1 Large Orange, Juice 1/2 Large Blood Orange, 1/2tsp Nutmeg (Grated)

To Finish: 2 Smoked Pheasant Breasts, Celeriac Purée, 2 Slices Air-Dried Ham, 2tbsp Sultanas, 125ml Port, Thyme Leaves, Sea Salt, Cracked White Pepper, Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil

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Method:

1) Season the pheasant legs and braise in the game stock with the garlic cloves on the stove top for around 1 hour over a low heat – or until the meat is falling from the bone. Remove from the stock and remove the meat from the bone, allow to cool slightly. Transfer the meat to a food processor and add all of the other ingredients. Pulse to form a coarse but well mixed force-meat. Set aside or keep warm until ready to serve.

2) Preheat the oven to 160c. Place the ham on a lined baking sheet and place into the oven. Cook for around 20 minutes or until the ham has dried out. Remove and set aside.

3) Place the sultanas and port in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Allow the port to reduce by 2/3. Set aside. Meanwhile, place a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add a little olive oil. Season the pheasant breasts with salt and white pepper and fry for around 4-6 minutes each side or until cooked through. Remove from the pan and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

4) Slice the pheasant breast and serve with some celeriac purée, the warmed leg meat mixture, a chunk of dried ham, some port soaked sultanas, a sprinkling of fresh thyme leaves and a good drizzle of olive oil.

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Enjoy!

Duck Breast with Cherry Sauce

This delicious sauce is very simple to prepare and, with a surprising depth and slight sweetness, pairs well with any type of game.

The delicate aromatics imparted by a little blossom honey and fresh cherries work best with seared duck breast and steamed purple sprouting broccoli tossed in a little butter – with the slight hit of port helping cut through the richness of the duck.

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Duck Breast with Cherry Sauce
Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 Duck Breasts
1 Garlic Clove (Bashed)
1 Rosemary Sprig
1 Shallot (Finely Diced)
10 Fresh Cherries (Stoned and Halved)
1 Good Glug of Port
100ml Chicken Stock
1 Tbsp Blossom Honey
25g Unsalted Butter
Sea Salt
Black Pepper

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Method:

1) Season the duck breasts with salt and pepper then place them skin side down into a cold sauté pan with the garlic and rosemary. Place the pan over a medium heat and cook for around 8-10 minutes skin side down until the fat is fully rendered. Flip the breast and cook for a further 5 minutes or until cooked to your liking (I aim for an internal temperature of around 62C).

2) Once cooked, remove the duck breast and allow to rest. Wipe the pan clean (leaving a trickle of fat) and return to a medium heat. Add the shallot and fry for 1 minute. Add the port, cherries, chicken stock and honey and reduce for 3 minutes. Whisk in the unsalted butter and keep the sauce warm until ready to serve.

3) Carve the duck breast and serve with the cherry sauce.

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Enjoy!