PALEO BRAISED OXTAIL OVER RUTABAGA MASH
PALEO BRAISED OXTAIL OVER RUTABAGA MASH

I had the television on in the background the other night as I was cleaning and I heard a show host talking about an oxtail dish he had tried. I heard him say the oxtail was cooked with a mixture of vegetables and broth, and then the stock and vegetables was turned into a pureed sauce. I ran over to try and rewind the show to see what the process was, but my cable sucks and it just froze my television for a while instead. Booo.
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!
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!
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Ingredients:
BRAISED OXTAIL AND STOCK SAUCE:
- 3 1/2 pounds 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)
RUTABAGA MASH:
- 2 pounds rutabagas
- 1/4 cup chicken broth (or more if needed)
- Sea salt (to taste)
- Ground black pepper (to taste)
Equipment:
- Large dutch oven
- Kitchen knife
- Cutting board
- Garlic press
- Stirring spoon
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Blender
- Vegetable peeler
- Large saucepan
- Potato masher or hand mixer
Directions:
TO MAKE THE BRAISED OXTAIL:
1. Prepare your vegetables. Place a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the 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.
2. 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.
3. 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).
4. 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.
5. 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:
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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:
1. 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.
BRAISED OXTAIL AND STOCK SAUCE:
- 3 1/2 pounds 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)
RUTABAGA MASH:
- 2 pounds rutabagas
- 1/4 cup chicken broth (or more if needed)
- Sea salt (to taste)
- Ground black pepper (to taste)
Equipment:
- Large dutch oven
- Kitchen knife
- Cutting board
- Garlic press
- Stirring spoon
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Blender
- Vegetable peeler
- Large saucepan
- Potato masher or hand mixer
Directions:
TO MAKE THE BRAISED OXTAIL:
1. Prepare your vegetables. Place a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the 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.
2. 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.
3. 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).
4. 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.
5. 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:
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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:
1. 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.