Oxtails may not be a cut of beef that you’re as familiar with as, say, a brisket or sirloin, but if you’ve never tried braised oxtails before, you’re in for a treat.
Ingredients
2 pounds oxtail
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 ¼ teaspoons black pepper, divided
1 ¾ cups chopped yellow onion
1 â…” cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped celery stalks with leaves or only stalks
1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme
2 rosemary sprigs
2 bay leaves
5 garlic cloves, sliced
½ cup red wine
1 ½ cups canned chopped tomatoes
2 cups water
6 tablespoons butter
1 pound Russet potatoes, cut in half or quarters
½ cup hot milk
Directions
Season the oxtail with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper.
Place a Dutch oven on the burner, set on high heat. Brown the oxtail (about 2-3 minutes on each side). Remove from the pot and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the chopped onion and carrots. Cook until the onions are translucent. Then add the chopped celery. Cook for 1-2 more minutes.
Add the herbs (thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves) and garlic. Sauté for 1 more minute.
Pour the red wine and let it reduce for about 2 minutes.
Next, add the chopped tomatoes with 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix it through and add the oxtail back in.
Pour in the 2 cups of water.
Reduce the heat to low and cook covered for about 2 hours.
In the last hour of cooking, remove the lid and let the sauce reduce. At this point, you can give it a taste and add any additional salt or black pepper, if needed.
During the last hour, make the brown butter. In a saucepan, cook the butter over medium heat. Once melted, start stirring constantly. When you smell a nutty aroma, the butter is deep golden brown, and browned milk solids appear in the bottom of the pan (about 3–4 minutes), remove from the heat and transfer to a heat-proof bowl or a cup.
Next, add potatoes to a large pot and add enough cold water to cover the tops, about an inch over the potatoes. Sprinkle in half a teaspoon of salt. Let them boil on medium heat, partially covered with a lid, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Once ready, drain the water from the potatoes. Mash them roughly, then add the hot milk, mash a bit more, add the browned butter, and continue mashing until the consistency is smooth.
Add 1 ½ teaspoons of salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper to the potatoes. Mix it through and cover with a lid until ready to serve.
When the oxtail is ready, the meat should easily fall off the bone.
Serve over the mashed potatoes.
