I hadn’t made oxtail for a while, and I am always a fan of trying out a new way to incorporate vegetables into my paleo diet, so I set out to create a similar dish. I browned the oxtail and then slow cooked it along with some chicken stock, carrots, onion, celery and some seasonings. I decided some rutabaga mash would be a good thing to serve it with. The end result was delicious…the meat was juicy and tender and the sauce was so flavorful. The rutabaga mash had a hint of sweetness and it was a perfect comfort food. It’s not the prettiest dish in the world, but I promise it tastes great!
RECIPE AUTHOR: Amy Densmore of The Paleo Cupboard
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2.5 hours
Serves: 4
USWM Shopping List: Beef Oxtail, Pork Lard or Beef Tallow, Chicken Stock (or try Duck Stock)
Ingredients:
BRAISED OXTAIL AND STOCK SAUCE:
– 3 1/2 pounds beef oxtail
– 2 Tbsp. lard, bacon fat or tallow
– 3 cups chicken stock (or more if needed)
– 4 stalks of celery, chopped into thirds
– 1 small onion, quartered
– 4 carrots, peeled and chopped into thirds
– 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
– 1 tsp. ground thyme
– 1 tsp. dried oregano
– 1 tsp. dried rosemary
– 2 bay leaves
– Sea salt (to taste)
– Ground black pepper (to taste)
PHOTO CREDIT: PALEO CUPBOARD/AMY DENSMORE
RUTABAGA MASH:
– 2 pounds rutabagas
– 1/4 cup chicken broth (or more if needed)
– Sea salt (to taste)
– Ground black pepper (to taste)
Directions:
TO MAKE THE BRAISED OXTAIL:
- Prepare your vegetables. Place a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add lard/bacon fat, or tallow and allow to get hot. Season the oxtail with a few dashes of sea salt and ground black pepper and brown on all sides. Remove the oxtail and set aside.
- Add the celery, onion, carrots and garlic to the pot and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the broth and scrape any browned pieces from the bottom of the pan. Add the thyme, oregano, rosemary and bay leaves and stir to combine. Add the oxtail and bring everything to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and cover the pot. Allow to simmer for about 2 hours or until the meat is very tender, stirring occasionally. You can make your rutabaga mash when you have about 30 minutes left for the oxtail to cook(see instructions below).
- Turn off the heat and discard the bay leaves. Remove the oxtail from the pot, pull the meat off of the bone and set aside. You can save the bones to make bone broth or you can discard.
- Season the vegetable stock with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Place the stock in a blender and puree until thick and smooth, adding additional broth if needed until desired consistency is reached.
TO MAKE THE RUTABAGA MASH:
- Fill a large saucepan halfway full of water and add a couple dashes of sea salt. Place over high heat and bring to a boil.
- Peel the rutabaga and chop into medium sized chunks. Add them to the pot and boil until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and return to the pan.
- Add the chicken broth to the pan and mash with a potato masher or use a hand mixer to blend. Add additional chicken broth if needed until desired consistency is reached. Season with sea salt and ground black pepper to taste.
TO ASSEMBLE:
- Place a serving of rutabaga mash on a plate and cover with a helping of stock sauce. Place a big ol’ pile of oxtail on top and serve.
About Amy:
I grew up watching my grandmother cook amazing foods from all of the countries she had lived in during her life. She taught me everything she knew and I try to put the same care and attention into my cooking that she did.
Thanks Amy for another outstanding dish! Check out Amy’s blog The Paleo Cupboard and recipe book, The Paleo Cupboard Cookbook, full of 145 easy to prepare paleo recipes and meal plans.