Braised Beef Knuckle in Red Wine with Mashed Potatoes & Baby Carrots

Since culinary school, one of the first things we all had to learn was how to braise beef in red wine. Classic French technique. It’s been a while since I last made it at home (honestly because it takes hours to cook), but last weekend I finally decided to give it a go. The whole kitchen smelled incredible, and it brought me straight back to those school days.

The beauty of this dish is that once you know the basics, you can pair it with anything — mashed potatoes like I did, or maybe pasta, roasted asparagus, or just a good baguette to soak up that sauce.

Here’s how I made it:

Check my video here

Ingredients (for 1–2 servings)

For the beef:

• 300g beef knuckle (cut into thick slices)

• 150ml red wine

• 2L water (or bone/veg stock)

• 2 beef stock cubes (about 7g each)

• 4 cloves garlic, whole

• 4 stalks leek, cut into chunks

• 2 onions, cut chunky

• 30g tomato paste (triple concentrate if you have it)

• Fresh thyme & a bay leaf

• Olive oil, sea salt, black pepper

For the mash:

• 3 medium potatoes (about 450–500g)

• 30–50g unsalted butter (depending how rich you like it)

• 50ml whipping cream

• A pinch of sea salt

Veggie on the side:

• 6–8 baby carrots, washed and halved or left whole

Method

1. Brown the beef
Season the beef with a little sea salt. Heat olive oil in a pot and sear the beef on all sides until nicely browned (about 3–4 mins each side). Take it out and set aside.

2. Build the red wine base
In the same pot, sauté the leeks, onions, and garlic until fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste. Pour in the red wine and let it simmer 4–5 mins to cook off the alcohol.

3. Braise
Add water (or stock), thyme, bay leaf, stock cubes, and the browned beef back into the pot. Cover with lid.

• On stovetop: simmer on medium-low for about 3.5 hours until the beef is fall-apart tender.

• Or stovetop + oven: simmer 2 hours, then move into a 160°C oven for 45 mins.

4. Finish the beef
Take the beef out, strain the liquid if you want a clearer sauce. Shred the beef into chunky pieces with a fork and put it back in. Add the baby carrots and simmer another 7–10 mins until the carrots are just tender.

5. Make the mash
Boil or steam the potatoes until soft (45–60 mins). Mash or press through a sieve for extra smooth texture. Mix with butter and cream, season with salt.

To serve

Spoon a scoop of mashed potatoes onto a plate. Top with the braised beef and carrots, ladle over some sauce. Finish with cracked black pepper and maybe a little parsley on top.

Best enjoyed hot, with a glass of red wine on the side 🍷

mi se en place

Brown all side of the beef knuckle, recommend 4 minutes each side

Veggies has been sauce with tomato paste, deglazed with red wine

Braising beef knuckles in red wine beef stock

Beef knuckle has been shredded

Pass the boiled potatoes through the sieve to remove all the starch, make it smoother

Mashed potatoes after putting cream and butter