Beef Bourguignon

Ingredients

• 5-6lb or 2 1/2kg beef chuck roast
• 1 large onion
• 5 large carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 head of garlic, cut in half
• 2 bay leaves
• 750ml/1 bottle dry red wine (i’m using pinot noir)
• 1500g or 1.5L beef stock
• 480g or 2 cups beef stock
• 25g or 1 3/4Tbsp tomato paste
• 42g or 1.5oz demi glace
• 230g or 1c water
• 4 packets or 1oz powdered gelatine
• 1/2kg or 1lb cremini mushrooms
• 6 small-medium Yukon gold potatoes
• 57g or 4 Tbsp (½ stick) butter
• Salt
• Olive oil

Method

1. Preheat oven to 550F or as high as it will go. Cube the beef, cutting off large chunks of fat. Coat with olive oil and salt. Toss to coat and roast on a sheet tray for 15-20 minutes, then remove from oven.
2. Peel and roughly chop onion, 1 carrot, and celery. Add wine to a large heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and herbs, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 15-20 minutes.
3. Reduce oven heat to 300F. Add 1500g beef stock, tomato paste, and demi glace to the pot.
4. With heat off, place a doubled layer of cheesecloth over the pot. Place beef chunks on top of cheesecloth. Pour water into a sheet tray and scrape fond into the pot. Tuck cheesecloth into the pot and around beef. Heat over medium-high until simmering, then cover and cook in the oven at 300F for about 3 hours.
5. Check after 2 hours, remove lid, and continue cooking for another 45 minutes to 1 hour. When beef is fork tender, allow to cool slightly, then refrigerate until completely cooled.
6. Skim off excess fat from the cooled braising liquid. Reheat to re-liquify. Remove beef, strain solids from the braising liquid, squeezing cheesecloth and vegetables. Skim off excess fat.
7. Return strained liquid to the pot and simmer to reduce for about 45 minutes until thickened.
8. Dissolve gelatine into 2 cups beef stock, bloom for 5 minutes, then add to the braising liquid.
9. Roughly chop carrots and mushrooms. When the liquid is reduced by ⅔, add carrots and cook for 15 minutes.
10. Preheat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and mushrooms, cook for 12 minutes until golden brown. Add mushrooms to the braising liquid.
11. When the liquid is reduced to about 20% of its original volume, add beef back to the braising liquid, spoon sauce over meat, and cook for 10 more minutes.
12. Make smashed potatoes by dicing potatoes into 1-inch pieces, covering with water, and simmering until tender. Add butter and salt, mash, and season to taste.
13. Serve the beef, carrots, mushrooms, and sauce over the smashed potatoes.