Ah winter, how we love you. You give us a reason to make potjie every day and today we’ve gone with a classic. Oxtail has long been revered as the king of the potjie because it’s meaty, fatty and ridiculously delicious. This hearty potjie is one of our favourites, and not just because it’s made with beer. It’s rich, robust and it’ll have you wishing winter was all year long.Â
INGREDIENTS:
SERVES: 6 – 8 | PREP: 1 HOUR | COOK: 3 ½ HOURS
For the potjie
2 kg oxtail
Olive oil
1 large onion, diced
200 g diced bacon
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
5 anchovies, finely chopped
50 g tomato paste
¼ cup flour
2 cups Fuller’s porter
2 cups good quality beef stock
1 tin chopped tomato
2 leeks, sliced lengthways then roughly diced
5 sprigs of thyme
3 sprigs of rosemary
2 bay leaves
250 g portobello mushrooms, halved
12 baby onions, peeled
250 g plum tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
For the spuds
5 large potatoes1 cup melted butter
Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD:
For the potjie
1. First you need to brown your oxtail. You can do this on the braai or in the oven.
2. To braai, season well and coat in olive oil. Braai over medium coals until browned and caramelised. To roast, set your oven to 220°C. Season well and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes until it is browned and caramelised.
3. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. In a large potjie pot, fry your onion until it begins to brown.
5. Add the bacon and fry until cooked.
6. Add your garlic, tomato paste and anchovies, then stir fry for another minute until fragrant.
7. Add the meat and flour and continue to stir fry for another minute to cook out the flour.
8. Add the beer to deglaze and scrape off any bits that are stuck.
9. Add the tin of tomato, leeks, stock, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves.
10. Gently stir the pot to combine.
11. Simmer the potjie on a low to medium heat for 2 ½ hours. Stir gently and only occasionally.
12. At the 2 ½ hour mark, add the mushrooms, baby onions and plum tomatoes. Try not to stir too often from here on out.
13. Continue cooking for another 45-60 minutes until the meat is falling off the bone and the onions are soft.
For the spuds
1. Boil the whole potatoes in salted water until they are about 70% cooked.
2. Slice them in half and then score them in a crisscross pattern using a fork.
3. Lay the potatoes face down on a tray that’s been lined with the melted butter. The hot potatoes will absorb the butter which makes them lekker when braaing.
4. Braai the potatoes on a flip grid over medium-hot coals, until they are golden brown.
5. Season with salt and pepper and serve on the side of the potjie.
Article received from :
Yuppiechef