Veal Chuck Roast with Port Wine and Cranberries

Ingredients

• 850 g boneless milk fed veal chuck roast
• Olive oil
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 3 celery sticks, sliced
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 ½ cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup porto
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 to 4 cups veal broth
• Salt and ground pepper

Ingredients for potato and parsnip puree

• 4 cups white potatoes, diced (3 medium potatoes)
• 1 cup parsnip, peeled and sliced (3 medium parsnip)
• ¼ cup butter, diced
• ¼ cup milk

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven at 300°F.
2. In a big enamelled iron pan at medium heat, add some olive oil and sear the roast on all sides until nicely browned, about 15 minutes total. Generously season with salt and pepper. Add oil if needed. Remove from pan and reserve in a plate.
3. Add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic and ½ cup of the cranberries. Add a drizzle of olive oil, season with salt and pepper then stir well. Cook for 5 minutes to caramelize.
4. Deglaze with the porto and scrape the bottom to grab all those flavours. Place the roast in the middle of the pan then add the rest of the cranberries, the bay leaves and enough broth to almost cover the veal (leave about 1 cm of the roast peeking out). Stir then bring to a boil.
5. Cover, place in oven and cook for 3 hours, until meat is ultra tender. Baste every hour. Remove the string, pull the meat apart then serve on a potato and parsnip purée.

Preparation for potato and parsnip puree

1. In a big pan filled with boiling salty water, cook the potatoes and parsnip for 45 minutes, or until fork tender.
2. Pour in a strainer, drain well and return in the pan at medium heat. Mash the potatoes and add the butter. Melt while stirring.
3. Add the milk and continue mashing and stirring until a nice texture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.