Rick’s pot roast brisket with parsley dumplings recipe

“I’m inordinately fond of pot-roasting meat, particularly when it is a slightly less than tender cut,like brisket. When you open the pot towards the end of the cooking time, the aroma of onions,celery, carrots and beer is as comforting as the smell of smoke from a wood fire in an open hearth.” – Rick

Ingredients for Rick’s pot roast brisket with parsley dumplings recipe

SERVES 6

For the sauce

• 1 Bramley apple, peeled and chopped
• 2 tbsp creamed horseradish

For the post-roast

• 1.3kg boned and rolled beef brisket joint
• 4 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
• 20g butter
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 celery sticks, sliced
• 4 carrots, peeled and each cut into three pieces
• 200ml beer
• 500ml rich beef stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 tsp sugar
• chopped fresh parsley, to garnish
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the dumplings

• 150g self-raising flour
• 75g suet
• small handful fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped

For the colcannon

• 1kg floury potatoes, such as King Edwards or Maris Pipers, peeled and cut into chunks
• 100g butter, softened
• 200g Savoy cabbage or curly kale, finely shredded
• 100ml oz full-fat milk
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to make Rick’s pot-roast brisket with parsley dumplings recipe

1) For the sauce, cook the apple with a splash of water in a small saucepan for about 10 minutes, or until pulpy and broken down. Stir in the horseradish and set aside.

2) Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan.

3) Pat the beef brisket dry with kitchen paper. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole and brown the brisket on all sides, then remove and set aside. Add the butter to the pan, reduce the heat and fry the onion, celery and carrots for 5–6 minutes until golden.

4) Add the beer, beef stock, bay leaf, thyme and sugar. Season well with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then immediately turn the heat down to a simmer and return the beef to the pan. Cover with a lid and transfer to the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Then turn the heat down to 160C/140C Fan and cook for 2½ hours, turning the beef after the first hour.

5) After 2½ hours the beef should be tender. Remove the beef from the pan, transfer it to a plate and cover with a double layer of kitchen foil to keep it warm. Put a skewer into the centre of the meat and check the juices are clear with no traces of pink.

6) Mix the dumpling ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add enough water (about 100ml) to make a soft dough, then with floured hands shape the dough into six balls. Bring the juices in the pan back to the boil, adding a little more stock or water if the pan looks dry. Add the dumplings, cover with the lid and return to the oven for 20 minutes until the dumplings are risen and fluffy.

7) Meanwhile, make the colcannon. Boil the potatoes for about 15–20 minutes until tender, then drain well. In a separate saucepan, melt about a third of the butter over a medium heat and add the shredded cabbage. Cook for about 5 minutes until wilted.

8) Add the remaining butter and milk to the potatoes and mash until smooth (or use a ricer and add to the butter and milk). Stir in the cabbage and season with salt and pepper.

9) Carve the beef into six thick slices. Taste the juices and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve the beef with the dumplings, vegetables and the meat juices spooned over. Sprinkle with a little parsley and serve the colcannon and horseradish and apple sauce alongside.

Happy cooking and thanks to James Murphy Photography for the recipe image above.