I chose this dish to share my version of as it’s the style of food I like to make at home. It requires little preparation and will only make a mess of two pots (very important to avoid tension in a crowded house).
It is based on classical cooking, and uses some great Irish produce. What is more homely and comforting than beef and mash? Once made, the braise will last for a good few days in the fridge, you can even reheat it in the microwave, if you want. There will be enough mash for another dinner too.
At the moment, dinner is definitely the highlight of the day, and this is one I look forward to the most. Being able to cook at a more relaxed pace at home has been a nice silver lining to all this, and it’s great to watch the country re-engaging with back-to-basics cookery skills. That said, I can’t wait to get back to it, at a higher tempo, in the restaurant, sooner rather than later I hope.
You can watch me cook it below or here.
Mark Moriarty is a chef at Michelin two-star The Greenhouse in Dublin. Cook In with Mark Moriarty, an eight-part series, begins on RTÉ One on Wednesday, May 6th at 8.30pm.
Braised beef cheek, potato mousseline
Serves two (with enough mash for another meal)
Ingredients
2 beef cheeks, trimmed and sinew removed
2 onions, halved
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 carrot, roughly chopped
6 button mushrooms
1 sprig tarragon
20g butter
300ml red wine
1.5 litres beef stock (you can use the rich beef jelly stockpots)
For garnish:
20g crispy onion
20g chives, chopped
20g horseradish, grated
For the mash:
6 large Rooster potatoes
50g rock salt
200ml cream
200ml milk
500g butter
Method
1. Heat a heavy-based cast iron pot, add some oil and begin to brown the beef cheeks all over.
2. Now add the onion, garlic, carrots and mushrooms, and allow the veg to take on some colour.
3. Add the butter, to increase the browning of the meat, the more colour achieved here, the better the final flavour of the braise.
4. Drain off any excess fat, then add the red wine, followed by the stock and the tarragon. Make sure the cheeks are completely covered. Place a lid on the pot.
5. Cook in a preheated oven at 130 degrees Celsius, for two hours, until the meat is tender.
6. Remove the cheeks from the braise and sieve the liquid into a separate pan.
7. Add the cheeks to this pan and reduce the stock over a high heat, basting the cheeks until a thick sticky glaze is achieved
8. Finish the glazed cheeks by adding Maldon salt, some crispy onion, chives and grated horseradish, if you have it.
For the mash:
1. Place the potatoes on a bed of salt on a tray. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for one hour in a preheated oven.
2. Heat the milk and cream together in a small saucepan.
3. Remove the potatoes from the oven, cut in half and press through a fine sieve or potato mouli, leaving the skins behind.
4. Place the potato pulp in a pot on the heat and add the cream/milk in stages. Finally, add the diced cold butter until a shiny mash is achieved. Season and serve it warm.
Kitchen Cabinet is a series of recipes from chefs who are members of Euro-toques Ireland who have come together during the coronavirus outbreak to share some of the easy, tasty things that they like to cook and eat at home #ChefsAtHome
