Beef shoulder slowly braises in Bordeaux, herbs and veggies, then served over mashed potatoes in this Bordeaux Braised Beef recipe. Serve with a Bordeaux wine, of course!
Mashed potatoes or other starch like noodles for serving
Instructions
Make the marinade: in a large bowl, combine the rosemary, sage, thyme, coarsely chopped onion, carrot and garlic (reserving the finely chopped aromatic vegetables for later). Pour in the wine, then add the bay leaves and salt. Stir to combine.
Pat the beef dry, then place in a large, sealable plastic bag. Pour the marinade into the bag with the beef. Seal the bag and shake gently to coat the the beef with the marinade.
Place the beef with marinade into the refrigerator. Marinate for at least 6 hours.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees when you are ready to cook.
Place a colander in a large bowl. Pour the beef and marinade into the colander. Scrape the large bits of vegetables and herb off the beef, and remove the beef to a plate. Reserve the the braising liquid and the items in the colander.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a dutch oven on the stove top, medium heat. Add the beef, brown on each side, about 10 minutes. Remove the beef to a platter.
As the beef browns, remove the pieces of carrot and garlic from the colander, and chop them into smaller pieces.
Heat the other tablespoon of olive in the dutch oven. Add the finely chopped onion, carrot, parsnip and celery. Saute on medium until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
Add the beef back into the dutch oven. Pour the reserved marinade over the beef. The add the garlic and carrots from the marinade to the dutch oven, along with two of the bay leaves and roasted garlic (squeezed out of the skin).
Cover the dutch oven, and remove it from the stove top to the oven. Let it slowly braise for 4 hours. No need to check it, just let it slowly cook!
After the four hours of braising, carefully move the dutch oven from the oven to the stove top. Carefully remove the cover. Use a large fork to move the beef to a platter.
Keep the braising liquid warm on the stove top on low heat. Stir it, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cut the beef into serving portions. It will tend to crumble into tender little pieces. Plate servings of mashed potatoes, Scoop up a portion of the beef, and serve of the mashed potatoes. Finish by ladling a generous portion of the braising liquid over the beef and potatoes. Enjoy with a good red Bordeaux!