Braised oxtail with crispy autumn leaves

We’re going to make a delicious oxtail autumn dish. We’re going to make braised oxtail with an onion foam, crispy potatoes and some beautiful crispy autumn leaves.

The oxtail (this recipe is for around 12 portions)

100 grams	nitrite salt
2 liters	cold water
2 kilograms	oxtail
2	shallots
6 sprigs	thyme
half a bulb	garlic
1,5 liters	beef stock

Transfer the nitrite salt into a pan and add the cold water. Mix it to dissolve the salt. Now submerge the oxtail and let this brine for 24 hours in your fridge. The next day you can take them out of the brine and let them dry for at least 10 minutes. Then heat up a big pot, add a splash of oil and panfry all the oxtail on all sides till golden. Really take your time with this, it makes a big difference in the final flavor. While you’re doing that cut the shallots in half and clean them. Now chop them. Once all the oxtail is golden remove them from the pan and panfry the shallots till golden. Now also add the thyme and the garlic, that’s cut in half. Then deglaze the pot with the beef stock and submerge the oxtail once more. When necessary, add some more beef stock. Then bring it to a boil and when it’s boiling put a lid on the pot and cook it in an oven at 85 degrees Celsius for 12 hours. After that remove the oxtail from the broth and keep the broth for later. Then remove any big pieces of fat, bones and other membranes. Now mix it for a minute or so. Then lay two layers of plastic wrap on your worktop and transfer the oxtail on top. Use the wrap to shape a nice tight roll. Now roll the sides to make the roll even tighter and makes a knot on both sides. Then tidy up the sides and let the oxtail roll set in your fridge. Meanwhile pass the broth through a fine sieve and use a small ladle to remove the fat that floats on top. Once most of it is removed, start reducing it for 50% and continue removing the fat till you have a nice clear broth.

The potato crisps (this recipe is for around 12 portions)

Start by peeling one big potato. Then cut it in thin julienne on a mandolin. You can also cut it by hand, but this is just faster. Be careful of your fingers though. Then cut it in small cubes, also known as brunoise. After that transfer it into a bowl and rinse the potato with cold water to remove the starch. If you don’t do this the potato will color to much before becoming crispy. Now let it dry for 15 minutes. Once dry heat up some frying oil till it’s 170 degrees Celsius and add the potato brunoise. Directly start mixing and continue doing so till golden brown. Then pass the oil through a fine sieve and spread the crisps on a kitchen paper. Directly season with salt and keep them dry and covered for later.

For the autumn leaves (you can make around 35 to 40 leaves with this recipe)

600 grams	floury potato
2 big	onions

First peel the potato. Then cut the potato in even chucks and transfer them into a pan filled with cold water. Now boil them for around 15 minutes till cooked. Meanwhile cut 2 big onions in half and clean them. Then chop them. Once the potato is cooked let them airdry for at least 15 minutes. Now add a drizzle of oil to a new pan and caramelize the onions on a medium heat. Once caramelized weight three times 50 grams.

50 grams	caramelized onions
25 grams	milk
25 grams	isomalt sugar
3 grams	salt
4 grams	turmeric powder
110 grams	boiled potatoes

Transfer the caramelized onions into a blender and also add the milk, the isomalt sugar, the salt and the turmeric powder. Blend this till smooth and then add the boiled potatoes. Blend it once more till it has no more lumbs. Then directly stop mixing to prevent it from becoming to gluey.

50 grams	caramelized onions
25 grams	milk
25 grams	isomalt sugar
3 grams	salt
4 grams	paprika powder
110 grams	boiled potatoes

Transfer the caramelized onions into a blender and also add the milk, the isomalt sugar, the salt and the paprika powder. Blend this till smooth and then add the boiled potatoes. Blend it once more till it has no more lumbs. Then directly stop mixing to prevent it from becoming to gluey.

50 grams	caramelized onions
25 grams	milk
25 grams	isomalt sugar
3 grams	salt
5 grams	lovage leaves
110 grams	boiled potatoes

Transfer the caramelized onions into a blender and also add the milk, the isomalt sugar, the salt and the lovage leaves. Blend this till smooth and then add the boiled potatoes. Blend it once more till it has no more lumbs. Then directly stop mixing to prevent it from becoming to gluey.

Once all three the batches are done transfer a couple thick lines on a silicon sheet. Just get creative. Then spread it out with a pallet knife till it’s an even layer. Don’t overspread it otherwise the colors will mix to much and all your hard work will be for nothing. When that’s done bake it at 140 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes. After that gently remove the dough from the sheet and cut it to the desired size with some scissors or cut it with a knife. Then cut it with a leaf puncher. After fry them at 160 degrees Celsius for around 10 to 15 seconds till the color starts to change. Then shape them when still hot and keep them dry and covered for later.

The onion foam (this recipe is for around 15 portions)

400 grams	cleaned onions
30 grams	butter
8 grams	salt
250 grams	white wine
10 grams	white wine vinegar
200 grams	cream
5 sprigs	thyme
	Pro espuma hot

First clean enough onions for 400 grams. Now chop them. After, heat up a big pan, add the butter and glaze the chopped onion with the salt. Then add the white wine and the white wine vinegar. Let this reduce completely. Once that’s done add the cream and the thyme. Reduce this as well. Then remove the sprigs of thyme. Now transfer it into a blender and blend it till smooth. Once it’s smooth weigh the mixture. For every 500 grams of mixture you’ll need to add 10 grams of a pro espema hot. Then mix it for another minute and pour it into a syphon. Don’t forget to pass it through a fine sieve. Using a ladle will make this a lot easier. After that charge it with two charges.

How to finish the dish

First portion the oxtail in pieces of around 50 grams. Don’t forget to remove the foil. Now heat up a frying pan, add a splash of oil and panfry the oxtail on both sides. Then glaze the top with the reduced broth and heat them for 5 more minutes at 160 degrees Celsius. Once that’s done pipe a nice dot of the onion foam in the middle of a plate and place the oxtail in the middle. Glaze it once more and sprinkle some potato crisps on top. Then cover the dish completely with the crispy leaves and it’s ready to be served!