Braised Oxtails (Oxtail Stew)

Ingredients

• ¼ cup vegetable oil, lard, or beef fat
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 4 pounds oxtails, crosscut into 1- to 2-inch-long pieces
• ½ cup white wine
• 3 cups beef stock, chicken stock, or water
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 celery ribs, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• (Kneaded Butter, made with 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour)
• Salt and black pepper
• Chopped parsley
• Hide ingredients for Mashed Potatoes 1 Mashed Potatoes (opens in new tab) Mashed Potatoes
  • 2 pounds potatoes (about 6 medium), peeled and cut into large chunks (left whole and unpeeled if baking)
  • ½ cup heavy cream, half-and-half, or milk
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black or white pepper
  • (2 tablespoons butter, softened)

  Sub-recipe steps

  1. Boil or bake until tender: 2 pounds potatoes (about 6 medium), peeled and cut into large chunks (left whole and unpeeled if baking)
  2. Meanwhile, heat in a small saucepan over medium-low heat: ½ cup heavy cream, half-and-half, or milk; 6 tablespoons butter; ½ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon black or white pepper
  3. Do not let the mixture boil. If using boiled potatoes, transfer them to a colander placed in the sink and briefly rinse off any excess starch. Return to the pot they were cooked in and shake over medium heat until mealy and dry. If using baked potatoes, wait until they are just cool enough to handle and carefully peel off the skin, or cut each potato in half and scoop out the flesh into a large bowl. Mash the hot potatoes or run them through a potato ricer (if using a ricer, you can rice large chunks of boiled potato with the skin intact—the skin will be left behind in the ricer). Fold the cream mixture into the potatoes, stirring just enough to incorporate (overworking the potatoes will turn them gummy). If the potatoes seem stiff, add more hot cream or milk. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
  4. Transfer to a serving dish and serve at once. If desired, top with: (2 tablespoons butter, softened)
  5. Mashed potatoes can be kept hot for up to 30 minutes by covering the (heatproof) serving dish with foil and placing it in a warm oven.