Braised beef cheeks with quince, bay, cinnamon and olive oil mash
Beef cheeks are a cheap cut of meat, but once slow-cooked, they are meltingly tender and full of flavour.
Ingredients
- beef: 4 small beef cheeks, trimmed
- red wine: 500ml/18fl oz red wine
- 3 bay leaves
- garlic: 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- shallots: 4 shallots, halved
- olive oil: 1 tbsp olive oil
- beef stock: 700ml/1¼ pint good beef stock
- cinnamon: 1 stick cinnamon
- cloves: 3 cloves
- honey: 55g/2oz honey
- orange: ½ orange, finely grated zest only
- quince: 1 quince, peeled, cored and quartered
- black pepper: sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the mash
- potatoes: 2 large Desirée potatoes, peeled and cut into even chunks
- double cream: 75ml/2½fl oz double cream
- butter: 20g/¾oz unsalted butter, cubed
- olive oil: 100ml/3½fl oz Arbequina or other fresh, grassy olive oil
Method
Put the beef cheeks in a dish and top with the wine, bay, garlic and shallots. Cover and marinate in the fridge overnight or for at least 6 hours.
Remove the beef cheeks and set aside. Pour the marinade into a casserole dish and place over a medium heat. Bring to the boil and simmer until the volume of the liquid has reduced by three-quarters.
Preheat the oven to 150C/130C Fan/Gas 2.
Heat the oil in a sauté pan over a high heat. Brown the beef cheeks for 4 minutes on each side, or until caramelised.
Transfer the cheeks to the reduced marinade and pour in the stock. Add the cinnamon, cloves and honey and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven for about 2 hours. Skim the surface every so often to remove any fat.
Add the zest and quince and cook for a further 1 hour or until the cheeks and quince are soft and tender. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, to make the mash, cook the potatoes in lightly salted water for 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain, then pass through a sieve or vegetable mill.
Gently heat the cream in a saucepan, then pour it into the potatoes. Fold in the butter and Arbequina olive oil and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
To serve, divide the cheeks and quince between four plates. Add a spoonful of mash and pour over the sauce.
