BRAISED STEAKS WITH GRAVY

• servings: SERVES 4 Preheat the ove
• total time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

This is a real weekend treat. It takes a while to cook but it's worth it, we promise. Serve with some crispy home-made chips - everyone loves a bit of gravy with their chips.

4 braising steaks, each around 200g

3 tbsp sunflower oil

1 medium onion, halved and cut into 12 wedges

1 garlic clove, crushed

500ml beef stock made with 1 beef stock cube or a 500ml tub of fresh beef stock * 1 tbsp tomato purée

4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1 tsp cornflour

½ tsp English mustard powder sea salt flakes freshly ground black pepper

ground black pepper. Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a large

Directions

Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas 3. Trim off any hard fat from the beef and season on both sides with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan.

Fry the steaks, 2 at a time, over a medium-high heat for a couple of minutes on each side or until nicely browned. Transfer to a large flameproof casserole dish. Add a little * more oil to the pan between batches.

Return the pan to the hob and reduce the heat. Add the remaining oil and gently fry the onion for 5 minutes or until softened and lightly browned, stirring regularly. Stir in the garlic for the last minute of the cooking time.

Transfer the onion and garlic to the casserole, pour over the stock and add the tomato purée. Strip the thyme leaves from the stalks and scatter into the pan (or sprinkle over the dried thyme), add the bay leaf and stir well. Bring to the boil then cover the casserole and transfer carefully to the oven. Cook for 1¼ - 1½ hours or until the beef is very tender.

Mix the cornflour and mustard powder in a small bowl and stir in a tablespoon of cold water until smooth. Remove the lid from the casserole dish and stir in the cornflour mixture. Place the casserole over a medium-high heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the gravy reduces and becomes thickened and glossy, stirring regularly. Divide the steaks between four warmed plates and spoon over the gravy. Serve with chips.