It really doesn’t get much better than a piece of meat that’s been slow cooking for hours. Whoever said that roast beef was bad either ate some that wasn’t cooked right or is an complete idiot.
In my opinion, only the best is slow cooked. Sure, steaks are awesome and they only take a couple of minutes to cook but when you take something like the brisket or shoulder of beef, add some spices and herbs, and just let it sweat it out, the end product is like nothing else. It’s just pure melt in your mouth awesomeness that’s going to stick to your ribs and make you feel at home.
And to go with this awesome cut of beef, I made something almost as equally awesome. Caramelized onion mashed potatoes. Uh, yes. The trick to these potatoes is simply to caramelize the onions which, if done right, should take you around 30-50 minutes. I know it’s a long time but trust me, standing over a pot of caramelizing onions is not as bad as it may sound. After the onions are caramelized, heat up some heavy cream, butter, and parsley then puree half of that with the onions. What you will get is this most magical onion-y, creamy, paste that’s going to take your mashed potatoes from ordinary to the most awesome thing you’ve ever tasted.
So go ahead, spend a little time in the kitchen. Make this on a Sunday and reap the benefits throughout the week. You won’t regret it.
Enjoy!
Shredded Beef with Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes
(Recipe by Sarah Eats Austin)
Ingredients
2 lbs beef shoulder
salt and pepper
1 yellow onion, sliced
3 tbls worcestershire
3 tbls balsamic vinegar
2 tbls olive oil, plus more for searing/sauteeing
3 cloves garlic, sliced
fresh oregano
fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.
Heat a dutch oven over high heat. Add a little olive oil and let heat. Season meat liberally with salt and pepper and sear until golden brown on all sides.
Once seared, remove meat and begin sauteeing onions until translucent. Once onions are done, return the meat and add garlic and herbs. Mix together the worcestershire, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar and pour over.
Place in oven for about 1 hour, then turn down the heat to 300F and place back in for another 3 hours.
Take out of oven and let rest about 30 minutes before shredding with a fork.
Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes
2 lbs golden potatoes, cubed
1 yellow onion, sliced
olive oil
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
2-6 tbls butter
3 tbls fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add in onions and let cook until deeply caramelized, about 40-50 minutes.
Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water, let cook until fork tender.
Using a ricer or potato masher mash the potatoes until soft. Heat the milk, butter and parsley until scalded.
Place all of the onions and about half of the milk mixture into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into the mashed potatoes along with the rest of the milk/butter and stir to combine.
Serve potatoes with the beef, sprinkle with extra chopped parsley for garnish.
This looks soooooo good! I’m going to print this up and pull it out on an autumn day–that’ll be heaven! Thanks.