SLOW-BRAISED VEAL CHEEKS WITH SMASHED RED BLISS POTATOES AND GARLIC CONFIT
SERVES 4
Veal cheek is a tough cut that requires long cooking to coax out the tenderness and reveal a deep, rich flavor profile. Season 11’s Ja’Nel Witt won the final dinner service and the title with a meal featuring her veal cheeks, a take on Southern flavors with a twist. As Ja’Nel put it, “If you don’t take risks, you won’t ever stand out.” If there is a silver skin covering the cheeks, remove it before cooking them. Once a cut reserved for budget-minded folk, offal and other “off” cuts are having their day, making their way onto trendy restaurant menus in recent years. If your local butcher hasn’t caught on to the trend, ask him or her to special order the cheeks for you.
Garlic confit—garlic cooked slowly in ample olive oil—is sweet, deliciously creamy, almost buttery, and mellowed of its sharp bite. Red bliss potatoes, smashed and enriched with crème fraîche, serve as the starch for the meal.
SLOW-BRAISED VEAL CHEEKS
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 veal cheeks, trimmed of fat and silver skin (about 4 ounces each after trimming)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup veal stock or beef stock
1 sprig rosemary
1 sprig sage
1 sprig thyme
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 garlic cloves, crushed
GARLIC CONFIT
1 cup of whole garlic cloves
2 cups olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
SMASHED RED BLISS POTATOES
4 red bliss potatoes, scrubbed and cut into quarters
2 tablespoons crème fraîche
2 tablespoons chicken stock, warmed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped chives, for garnish
FOR THE SLOW-BRAISED VEAL CHEEKS
HEAT the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the veal cheeks with salt and pepper. Add the meat to the pan and sear on both sides until browned, about 5–6 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate and set aside.
ADD the carrots, celery, and onion to the pan and sauté until the onions are translucent, 5–6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until the paste is caramelized, about 3 minutes. Add the wine, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Simmer 2–3 minutes so the alcohol cooks off. Return the veal cheeks to the pot, along with any juices from the plate. Add the stock, rosemary, sage, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, and garlic cloves. Bring to a boil, then cover with a piece of parchment paper slightly larger than the pan, so the paper is resting on the meat. Cover with the pan lid and reduce heat to low. Maintaining a very slow simmer, braise for 1½ hours until the veal cheeks are very tender.
FOR THE GARLIC CONFIT
FOR THE SMASHED RED BLISS POTATOES WITH CRÈME FRAÎCHE
PLACE the potatoes in a medium saucepan and add water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Drain and return the potatoes to the pot. Add the crème fraîche, chicken stock, and salt and pepper, and smash the potatoes with a fork. Cover and keep warm.
REMOVE the veal cheeks from the Dutch oven and tent to keep warm. Strain the braising liquid and allow to stand until fat rises to the surface. Remove the fat and return to the stovetop. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat until the sauce is reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper.
TO PLATE
MOUND the smashed potatoes in the center of each plate. Top with a veal cheek and drizzle with pan sauce. Mash one or two garlic confit cloves and place on top of the meat. Serve with Rainbow-Colored Carrots with Parsley Butter (here) and garnish with freshly chopped chives.
