Braised beef cheek in shiraz sauce with potato gnocchi in sage butter and baby peas

A recipe to feed your family of four for less than $10. Simon Gault said he was worried about finding the main ingredient for his dish, beef cheek, in his local New World, but his favourite supplier Neat Meats came to the rescue. He said beef cheek may not sound too appetising but was delicious, and had a texture and taste very much like oxtail. "It has the same glutinous property and at only $8 per kilogram you should sample it before it goes the same way, price wise, as lamb shanks have."

Ingredients

1	Carrot, peeled and diced
1	Baby onion, finely diced
2	Garlic cloves
460 g	Beef cheeks (Main)
1 Tbsp	Flour
2 Tbsp	Vegetable oil
2	Bay leaves
187 ml	Red wine
4	Black peppercorns
1 bunch	Fresh thyme
250 g	Frozen peas, half a packet

Gnocchi

420 g	Agria potatoes (Main)
75 g	Flour
½ tsp	Salt
1 pinch	Nutmeg
6	Sage leaves
1 Tbsp	Butter

Directions

Beef Cheek

1. Beef cheek is best cooked a day ahead and left in sauce overnight. Season beef cheek with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.
2. Heat oil in saute pan until hot. Add beef cheek and sear all sides until brown.
3. Place in casserole dish with carrot, onion, garlic, red wine, bay leaves, peppercorns, thyme and 500ml of hot water, or enough to cover the beef cheek.
4. Place in oven for 2-3 hours maintaining the fluid level throughout. (Test for tenderness and moistness after 2 hours by tasting a small piece).
5. When done, remove from cooking liquor and set aside, covered. Pour cooking liquor into saucepan, bring to boil and reduce until 250ml remain. Taste and season.

Gnocchi

1. Bake potatoes in 180 degC oven for 90 minutes. Do not overcook. When cool enough to handle, peel potatoes and pass them through a mouli or ricer.
2. Add salt, nutmeg and flour and mix to form a soft dough, adding more flour if necessary, but keep mixture light.
3. Divide dough into four pieces, roll each into a sausage shape about 2cm in diameter, then cut into 3cm-long pieces.
4. Cook in batches in simmering salted water until they rise to the surface, remove with slotted spoon. Drain on kitchen towel.
5. Heat butter in saute pan with sage, add gnocchi and toss to coat with sage butter. Place in a serving bowl and grind pepper over top.
6. Assembly: Heat half pack (250g) of frozen peas in boiling water seasoned with sugar and salt for two minutes.
7. Reheat beef cheek in the sauce and place on plate topped with sauce. Serve gnocchi and peas on the side.