Winter Meals Braised Oxtail with Potato Purée

As the weather in the Sonoran Desert finally cools down, the morning temperatures are just low enough to use the fireplace. Once winter arrives, I  look forward to that first fire and spend all morning staring into the flames. Along with those indolent desert winter days come the addictive comfort foods of the season. That’s when we need a simple, long-cooked oxtail stew. For Provence WineZine, I paired the dish with a fantastic 2016 red blend from Vacqueyras.

Braised Oxtail with Potato and Celeriac Purée

David Scott Allen | Cocoa & Lavender

This dish is suitable for mid-winter chill, slow-cooked, and well-seasoned serve the braised oxtail with potatoes on the side.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

Course Main Dish

Cuisine French, Provencal

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

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• 3 lbs oxtail cut into 2-inches thick pieces
• Salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil (or canola oil) plus extra
• 2 onions peeled and diced
• 3 stalks celery sliced
• 4 small carrots peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1 Parsnip peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup tomato passata or tomato purée
• 6 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp fresh herbs chopped, (rosemary, marjoram, thyme)
• 2 cups red wine
• 1 cup Beef Broth
• 2 lbs Russet potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 lb Celeriac trimmed, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (35%)
• 1 cup milk or more as needed

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Season the oxtail pieces generously with salt and pepper; rub the seasoning into the meat. Dredge oxtail pieces in the flour until they are coated on all sides.
• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven and brown oxtail on all sides, in batches if necessary. Remove oxtail from the pan, and set aside on a plate.
• Add the onions, celery, carrots, and parsnips to the pan and sauté for 10 minutes, or until vegetables begin to take on some colour.
• Add the herbs, stir in. Then add the tomato puree, and stir again to coat the vegetables well. Next, add the wine and the beef stock; stir to mix, then bring to a boil.
• Return the browned oxtail pieces to the pan. Season gently with salt and pepper, cover, and place in the oven for 3 hours.
• In the final half-hour of braising, boil the potatoes and celeriac in well-salted water for about 20 minutes, or until very soft. Purée them with butter, cream, and milk; add additional salt as desired. (I like to put them through the food mill before puréing them with a hand-held mixer.)
• Serve the oxtail, with plenty of the sauce, on a potato and celery root purée.

Keyword French Recipes, Oxtail

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David Scott Allen

David Scott Allen is the author, photographer, and cook behind Cocoa & Lavender, a weekly food blog based in Tucson, Arizona. Passionate about travel, he especially enjoys eating traditional foods and learning local customs, whether in the United States or around the globe.

David's first trip to France took place when he was 14, and he returned as often as possible thereafter. However, it wasn't until his 50th birthday that he finally made it south to Provence. The beauty, history, charm, warmth, cuisine, and - of course - the rosé wines captured his heart. He shares his Provençal recipes here on Perfectly Provence, and his food and wine pairings monthly on the Provence WineZine.

David is a firm believer that sharing a meal with friends around the table is one of life's greatest pleasures. And if it happens to be in Provence, all the better!