Corn beef stew with horseradish mash

Slow-braised corn beef, sitting in a pillow of mashed potatoes, kissed with horse radish, with roasted mushrooms and pearl onions, is the kind of hearty dish that would even warm up a polar bear.

Corn beef stew with horseradish mash. Credit: Comfort Food With Spencer Watts

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  2:20 hours

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

Braised corned beef

• 1½ tbsp olive oil
• 1.3 kg (3 lb) piece corn beef, cut into large chunks
• 1 cup diced onion (large dice)
• 1 cup diced carrot (large dice)
• 1 cup diced celery (large dice)
• 1 cup diced parsnip (large dice)
• 1½ tbsp crushed (chopped) garlic
• 1 cup pearl onions
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 2 cup baby cremini mushrooms (see Note)
• 1 cup coffee
• 1 cup red wine
• 1½ L beef stock
• 3 tsp cornstarch
• 3 tsp water

Braised vegetables

• 1 cup roughly chopped carrots
• 1 cup roughly chopped parsnips
• 1 cup pearl onions
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 42 g unsalted butter
• ¼ tsp salt

Horseradish mash

• 4 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp fresh grated horseradish
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 L water
• ½ cup cream
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 sprig rosemary

Instructions

1. For the corned beef: Pre-heat the oven to 170°C (325°F).
2. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Sear the corn beef pieces on all sides and remove from pot. Add the mushrooms and sauté until slightly crisp. Add the onion, carrot, celery, parsnip and garlic.Sauté until the veg starts to slightly soften (about 5-6 minutes), then add the rest of the ingredients, except cornstarch and water. Bring to a simmer. Place a tight-fitting lid (or use foil) on the pot and braise in the oven until the corn beef is very soft and almost “falls off the bone (this will take a couple of hours).
3. Once cooked remove the meat carefully from the braising liquid. Strain and reserve liquid. Allow liquid to settle and skim off any fat using a ladle. Place de-fatted sauce back into a clean sauce pot. In a small bowl mix together cornstarch and water. Turn the heat on the sauce to medium and once simmering, add the cornstarch water. Whisk to thicken. Once thick add meat into thickened sauce and reserve warm for plating.
4. For braised vegetables: In a medium-sized skillet, add the butter and stock, turn to medium high heat and allow butter to melt. Once melted, add in all the vegetables, cover with a lid and turn heat to a simmer. allow vegetables to cook until fork tender. Reserve warm for plating.
5. Meanwhile, for horseradish mash: In a sauce pot add the potatoes and horseradish, cover with water and simmer until the potatoes are soft and fork tender. Strain and allow to steam for a minute, add potatoes and horseradish back to the pot and return to the stove. In a separate pot add the rest of the ingredients and heat until the butter is melted and the sauce is warm. Using a whisk much down the potatoes until the potatoes almost start to come together, then add in the hot liquid and whisk vigorously for 10 second. Reserve warm for plating.
6. To build: Add a large dollop of mash to the centre of a dinner plate and make a volcano shape in the middle, place warm beef pieces in the middle of the mash, scatter the vegetables around the corn beef and drizzle with the sauce. Finish with a few rosemary sprigs and enjoy.
   

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.