Pressed Ox Cheek with Smoked Bone Marrow Mash

⏱ 300 min · Serves 4

A proper weekend project: ox cheeks braised low and slow in red wine until they collapse, then pressed overnight into a neat terrine, cut into blocks and seared to a glassy, sticky crust. Underneath sits mash enriched with smoked roast bone marrow, and over the top goes a reduction glossy enough to see your face in. Restaurant plating, home kitchen.

Per serving: 890 kcal · 68.0g protein · 48.0g carbs · 45.0g fat

Ingredients

• 4 ox cheeks (about 1.4kg total), trimmed
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp beef dripping or vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 500ml full-bodied red wine
• 800ml good beef stock
• 3 thyme sprigs, 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 4 pieces (8cm) beef marrow bones, canoe-cut
• 1kg floury potatoes (Maris Piper), peeled and quartered
• 150ml whole milk, warm
• 80g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 tsp smoked salt (or 1/2 tsp smoked paprika + flaky salt)
• 1 tbsp cold butter, for the sauce
• Flaky sea salt and black pepper
• Small handful chives, finely sliced
• Watercress, to serve

Method

1. Season the cheeks well and dust lightly with flour. Heat the dripping in a heavy casserole and brown them hard on all sides, in batches, until deeply coloured. Set aside.
2. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the pan and cook 8–10 minutes until caught and sweet. Stir in the tomato purée and cook 2 minutes.
3. Pour in the wine, scrape the base clean and reduce by half. Return the cheeks with the stock, herbs and peppercorns. Bring to a bare simmer, cover and cook at 150C/130C fan for 3 to 3.5 hours, until a spoon goes through with no resistance.
4. Lift the cheeks out carefully. Strain the braising liquid into a wide pan, discard the vegetables, and skim the fat. Reduce to about 250ml of glossy sauce; hold back 3 tbsp for the pressing.
5. Line a small loaf tin (roughly 20 x 10cm) with cling film. Flake the warm cheek into large shreds, discarding sinew, season, and toss with the reserved 3 tbsp sauce. Pack tightly into the tin in layers, fold over the film, weigh down with a tin of beans and chill at least 6 hours or overnight.
6. Next day, roast the marrow bones marrow-side up at 220C/200C fan for 15–18 minutes until bubbling and golden. Scoop out the marrow, chop roughly and reserve any rendered fat.
7. Boil the potatoes in salted water until fully tender, drain and steam dry 2 minutes. Rice or mash until smooth, then beat in the warm milk, cold butter, the chopped marrow with its fat, and smoked salt. Keep warm.
8. Turn out the pressed cheek and cut into 4 neat blocks. Sear in a hot ovenproof pan with a little dripping, colouring all sides, then finish in a 180C oven for 8 minutes to heat through.
9. Reheat the sauce and whisk in the cold butter off the heat until glossy. Spoon mash onto warm plates, top with a block of cheek, nap generously with sauce, and finish with chives and a small pile of dressed watercress.