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Stout-braised beef shin with Lincolnshire Poacher and celeriac aligot and parsnip crisps
Serves 10-12 AS PARTY FOOD Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 1kg beef shin
- 50g plain flour
- 2tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 6-7tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 x 440ml can Guinness
- 400ml good-quality beef stock
- 1tbsp finely chopped rosemary
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 1 large leek, trimmed and finely chopped
- 200g chestnut mushrooms, coarsely chopped
- 2-3tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- large handful flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
For the aligot
- 700g potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 small celeriac, peeled
- 30g butter
- 1tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 350g Lincolnshire Poacher cheese, grated
For the parsnip crisps
- 2-3 small parsnips
- 300ml sunflower oil, for frying
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Cut the beef shin into bite-sized pieces. In a large bowl, mix the flour and fresh thyme leaves together and season generously with salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Toss in the beef pieces until evenly coated. Heat 4-5tbsp of the oil in a large wok or frying pan and fry the beef pieces until golden. Do this in batches, taking care not to crowd the pan. Transfer the beef to a large casserole dish. Pour in the Guinness and beef stock and stir in the rosemary and bay leaves.
Wipe the wok or frying pan clean with a piece of kitchen paper, add the remaining oil, and fry the chopped leeks over a gentle heat until softened. Add to the casserole with the chopped mushrooms. Cover the casserole and cook the beef for around 2-2.5 hours, until the meat is tender and the sauce thickened – checking from time to time that there is plenty of nice, thickened sauce (add a little beef stock or water if necessary).
When the beef is tender and the sauce thickened, stir in the Worcestershire sauce and chopped parsley.
In the meantime, make the aligot. Put the peeled, diced potatoes into a large saucepan. Chop the peeled celeriac into similar-sized pieces and add to the pan. Cover with water, bring to the boil and cook for 25-30 minutes, until the vegetables are soft (the exact cooking time will depend on the size of the chunks).
When the vegetables are soft, drain them and transfer to a food processor (or use a hand blender or whisk) and gently whizz to a purée. Give the pan a rinse and transfer the purée back into it. Add the butter, mustard and garlic and then gradually add the cheese, beating the purée until everything is fully incorporated. Season to taste with salt flakes and fresh, coarsely ground black pepper.
For the parsnip crisps, top and tail the parsnips and cut into fine ribbons using a potato peeler. Leave the ribbons to soak in iced water for 10 minutes or so to crisp, then drain thoroughly on kitchen paper. Heat the oil in a wok or deep frying pan until very hot, then fry the parsnip ribbons for 2-3 minutes, until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper, season and set aside.
To serve, spoon the beef into small serving bowls and top with a spoonful of aligot. Finish with parsnip crisps and serve.
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