Nico's Cook In, Cook Out airs Wednesdays at 8.30pm on RTÉ One.
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
Time 3.5 hours
- 1kg of beef shin
- 1kg chuck steak, cut into chunks
- 4 tbsp plain flour
- 3 Hickory Smoked rashers, thinly sliced
- 3 celery sticks, finely chopped
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 bay leaves
- A few sprigs of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 250ml of red wine, or increase quantity of beef stock
- 500 ml beef stock
- 500 ml water
For the mash
- 4 potatoes
- 100g butter
- 100ml milk
- 1 egg yolk
- 100g Parmesan
- Chives, to garnish
Method
- Just over the base of your pan with oil and let it heat up
- Add your bacon and once it is crispy
- Add the carrot, onion and celery celery and allow to soften
- Then add your garlic and sauté for 5 minutes
- Add the tomato paste and then the wine
- Finally add the 500 mls of beef stock, the bay leaves and thyme.
- Dust the beef with the plain flour and brown on all sides in a large pan, work in batches.
- Add the beef into the ragu (vegetable base) pot as they are browned.
- Add 500 mls of water and Simmer over a very low heat for 3 hours OR put it into the oven at 160 until the beef is tender, approx 2 / 3 hours.
Method for mash
- Preheat the oven to 200C
- Make a small cut around the equator of the potatoes then place into the oven and bake for 1 hour until completely tender.
- Add the butter and milk to a large pot and heat until the butter melts
- Remove the skins and pass the potato through a sieve or potato ricer directly into the milk/butter mixture.
- Fold in the potatoes and stir until the mash is creamy. Season with salt, pepper and some chopped chives. Remove from the heat and stir through the egg yolk.
To assemble
- Remove the bones and sinews from the beef ragu
- Place it in the bottom of a pie dish then top with the mash and finally sprinkle over the grated parmesan and a little more chive.
- Cook in the oven for 15 mins until golden and bubbling.
