Sous Chef Stuart Hall

Alexandra House Hotel,

Wroughton

Swindon

01793 819031

How to make Slow Braised Beef

With Spring Onion Mash

THIS is a classic dish with a twist, and a nice hearty meal for when the spring sunshine melts into cool evenings. It serves four people.

For the beef:

4 braising steaks

2 leeks

1 head of celery

1 white onion

2 carrots

1 glass red wine

Few sprigs of fresh thyme

3 fresh bay leaves

For the mashed potato:

6 nice sized potatoes

½ pint wiping cream

1 bunch of spring onions

½ block of salted butter

Salt and cracked black pepper

l Switch the oven on, 180c fan or gas mark 4 if you have gas.

l Start off by roughly chopping your entire haul of vegetables. Place in a casserole tray with your thyme and bay leaves.

l Season your steaks with salt and pepper.

l Place a heavy bottom frying pan on the heat, when nearly smoking add a splash of vegetable oil to it then slowly place the braising steak into the pan to colour both side of for 2-3 minutes do it in batches to retain the heat in your pan.

l Remove from the pan and place on top of the vegetables in the tray, poor the oil off then add your red wine to the pan that the steaks were in, scrape of any bits of beef that are left in the pan and add this to the beef and vegetables.

l Cover with water and place a lid on top, or tin foil folded nice and tightly, and cook slowly in the oven for about three hours till it is about to fall apart.

l To make the mashed potato, peel and cut up your potatoes and place in a large pan with cold water, season the water with salt and cook till potatoes are soft. Add your butter and cream to a pan, and then melt together.

l Slice the spring onions and add to the cream & butter mix.

l Once the potatoes are cooked, drain off the water then add the cream, butter & spring onions, salt and pepper mix together, and taste to correct the seasoning.

l To finish place mash on the plate, top with the braised beef and the braised vegetables and the cooking liquor.