Ox cheeks, potato and pumpkin mash with roasted onion topping, apple red cabbage

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 5 ox cheeks
• 2 leeks
• 1 celery
• 4 carrots
• 4 shallots
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4 tbsp oil
• 500 ml red wine
• 1 liter beef stock
• 4 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp cranberries
• 1 tsp allspice berries
• 4 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 100 ml port wine, red
• salt and pepper
• 800 g floury potatoes
• 1 kg butternut squash
• 100 ml milk
• 100 g butter in pieces
• salt and pepper
• nutmeg
• 1 small red cabbage
• 3 apples (e.g. Boskoop)
• 1 onion(s)
• 2 tbsp clarified butter
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 juniper berries
• 8 peppercorns
• 4 cloves
• 8 allspice berries
• 100 g sugar
• 250 ml apple juice
• 250 ml orange juice
• 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 50 ml red wine
• 4 tsp currant jelly
• 1 m.-sized onion(s)
• Oil for frying
• 5 tbsp flour
• Salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 4 hours 40 minutes; Total time approx. 6 hours 25 minutes

from the show “The Perfect Dinner” on VOX from 13.02.2025

Wash the ox cheeks and pat dry. Peel the vegetables and dice roughly. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a roasting pan and sear the meat on all sides over high heat. Remove and set aside. Add the remaining oil to the roasting pan. Fry the shallots and garlic, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining vegetables and continue to fry until toasted. Stir in the tomato paste and fry for two minutes. Deglaze with red wine and simmer slightly. Add the stock, bring to a boil, and add the spices and herbs. Return the ox cheeks to the roasting pan and braise in a preheated oven at 170°C (top/bottom heat) for about four hours. After two hours, turn the meat over and add a little more water if necessary. Add the port wine and continue to braise until the cheeks are tender. Remove the meat and keep warm. Bring the vegetables and stock to a boil and puree the vegetables. Season the sauce with balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and cranberries. For the potato and pumpkin mash, peel the potatoes and pumpkin, roughly dice them, and simmer in a little water for about 25 minutes. Bring the milk to a boil with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and nutmeg, and melt the butter in it. Drain the potatoes and pumpkin, allow to evaporate, and mash with a potato masher. Gradually stir in the hot milk until the desired consistency is reached. Season to taste. Finely slice the red cabbage and onion, and thinly slice the apples. Heat the clarified butter in a large saucepan, sauté the onions until translucent, add the red cabbage, and sauté for 10 minutes. Add the sugar, spices, and apples, and fry briefly. Pour in the apple juice, orange juice, cider vinegar, and red wine. Bring to a boil, then simmer the cabbage with the lid on for about an hour until softened. Stir occasionally. At the end of the cooking time, season with blackcurrant jelly and add salt, pepper, and sugar if desired. For the fried onions, peel the onion and cut into ½ cm rings. Mix with 1 tablespoon of salt and let it stand for 15 minutes. Then drain and pat dry. Toss the onion rings with flour. Heat oil in a pan to 170°C and fry the onion rings in batches until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper. Minira prepared this recipe as a main course on the show “The Perfect Dinner” – Day 4 in Paderborn on Thursday, February 13, 2025.