Beef Cheeks in Red Wine Sauce
The beef cheeks are braised until incredibly soft, so tender they melt in your mouth with every bite. They stay moist and juicy, soaking up all the flavour from a rich red wine sauce made with vegetable stock, butter, herbs, vegetables, and the natural juices from the meat. By the end of cooking, the sauce thickens into a deep, glossy, gravy-like finish that clings beautifully to the beef. Served with silky mashed potatoes made extra creamy with butter, hot milk, and Pecorino Romano, a spoonful of mash, beef, and sauce is addictively good. It’s simple to prepare and the kind of dish that instantly lifts your mood, perfect for a relaxed meal at home or an elegant dinner with friends.
Servings 4 people
Equipment
- Dutch oven or casserole pan
- Metal spoon
- knife
- Pot for boiling potatoes
- Strainer
- Potato ricer or masher
- bowl
- Whisk
- Sieve
Ingredients
- 800 g / 28.2 oz beef cheeks
- 150 g / 5.2 oz butter
- 250 ml / 1 cup red wine
- 2 carrots skin on
- 2 celery sticks
- 1 onion
- 2 – 3 garlic cloves
- 354 ml / 1½ cups vegetable stock
- 250 ml / 1 cup passata
- Bay leaves
- Fresh sprigs of thyme and oregano
- Salt and pepper
For Mashed Potatoes
- 1 kilo / 35.2oz white potatoes
- 100 g / 3.5oz butter
- 5 Tbsp of Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano grated
- 236 ml / 1 cup hot full-cream milk
- Salt
Instructions
- Place a Dutch oven or casserole pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter along with the thyme and oregano and let the butter melt.
- Add the beef cheeks to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, spooning the butter over the meat as it cooks. Once nicely browned, remove the herbs and set the beef cheeks aside.
- Lower the heat to medium-low. Carefully add the red wine a little at a time to deglaze the pan. Use a spoon to scrape up all the flavourful bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. This is where the flavour is.
- Crush the garlic with your hand and add it to the pan. Cut the onion into quarters directly over the pan. Cut the carrots and celery into large pieces, or simply break them by hand, and add them in. Add the bay leaves and stir everything together.
- Return the beef cheeks to the pan and add the vegetable stock. Cover with a lid and cook for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the beef cheeks from the pan. Add the passata to the sauce and mix well. Place the beef cheeks back into the pan, cover, and cook for a minimum of 3½ hours. Turn the meat every 30 minutes to 1 hour so it cooks evenly and stays beautifully tender.
Making Mashed Potatoes
- Peel the potatoes and place them in a pot of cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat and cook until tender. You’ll know they’re ready when a fork goes through easily.
- Drain the potatoes well, then pass them through a potato ricer or mash them until smooth. Use a whisk to gently mix and add half of the butter, stirring until incorporated. Season with salt, but don’t overdo it.
- Add the Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano, then pour in a splash of hot milk. Mix until the mash becomes creamy and smooth.
- Add the remaining butter and another splash of milk. Mix gently, adding more milk if needed, until the mash is velvety and soft.
Making the Sauce
- Once the beef cheeks are cooked, remove them from the pan and set them aside. Remove and set aside the vegetables as well.
- Place the pan back on low heat and add half a glass of red wine. Deglaze the pan again, letting the wine gently evaporate while scraping the bottom to lift any remaining flavour.
- Pass the sauce through a sieve and set it aside. Return the pan to medium-low heat, pour the strained sauce back into the pan, and allow it to simmer gently until it thickens to your liking.