SUNDAY
Nach Waxman’s Brisket of Beef | Horseradish Mashed Potatoes | Oven-Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Photo by James Ransom
SUNDAY…a day of rest…not so much today!
First-of-all, I recently purchased a NIKE Fuel Band. This little gadget {which adorns my wrist} is helping me to stay on track with my daily, physical activity. I normally walk/run/hike everyday but this little square box {a.k.a., a blog}, which you are visiting at this very moment, has been consuming an extraordinary amount of time these last 4 months, since I started in September, and I have developed a tendency to get “off-track”. So, with my Fuel Band as my conscience, my day began with my morning hike {2 hours!} Followed by a “breakfast” meeting with Max to discuss inventory/requirements/acquisition strategy for his upcoming school trip to Washington D.C.& New York City. I wish the Fuel Band could calculate fuel/energy points generated by tension & adrenaline…I would have had a banner day {according to my new bracelet}. Max and I then headed out to secure the necessary items and, expecting the worst {his teenage desires don’t always fall within with my parental parameters…go figure} we were both completely surprised…we had a great time together! After a slow start over the “heavy coat” requirement {so hard to explain to a child who has lived in California almost his entire life} we gained momentum and finished the entire expedition in under 2 hours…returning home laughing together, much to the surprise of Daddy!
Dropping our bags at the front door, I headed for the kitchen to prepare the brisket…
Nach Waxman’s Brisket of Beef {adapted from Food52.com}
- 1 6-pound, flat-cut, beef brisket
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 8 medium onions. thickly sliced
- 5-6 ounces, organic tomato paste
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 large {or 2 small} carrot, peeled
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
- In a small bowl, combine flour and salt & pepper to taste, stirring to combine. Lightly dust the brisket with the seasoned flour. Heat the oil, over medium-high heat, in a large ovenproof, enameled, cast-iron pot with a tight-fitting lid…just large enough to hold the brisket, snugly. Add the brisket to the pot and brown on both sided until crusty brown areas appear on the surface here and there, 7 minutes per side.
- Transfer brisket to a platter, turn up the heat a bit, then add {all of those} onions to the pot and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Continue cooking until the onions have softened and developed a rich, brown color but have not yet caramelized, 15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and place the brisket {and any accumulated juices} on top of the onions.
- Spread the tomato paste over the brisket as if you were frosting a cake. Sprinkle the meat with salt & more pepper taste, then add the garlic cloves and the carrot{s} to the pot. Cover the pot, transfer to the oven and cook brisket for 1½ hours.
- Transfer the brisket to a cutting board {preferably one with a well around the edges to catch the juice from the meat} and, using a very sharp carving knife, slice the meat across the grain into approximately 1/8-inch-thick slices. Return the sliced brisket to the pot, overlapping the slices at an angle so that you can see a bit of the edge of each slice. The end result should resemble the original unsliced brisket leaning slightly backward. Check the seasonings and, if the sauce appears dry, add a few tablespoons of water to the pot.
- Cover the pot and return to the oven. Lower the heat to 325°F and cook until the brisket is fork-tender, 1½ - 2 hours. Check once or twice during cooking, basting the meat each time, to make sure that the liquid has not bubbled away. Add a few teaspoons of water but no more.
- It is ready to serve with its juices but, in fact, it’s even better the second day. It also freezes well.
Season & brown the brisket…
Then cook the onions…
Followed by…roasting the brisket, slicing & then roasting some more…
After slicing the brisket, and getting it back into the oven, I had 30 minutes to get the potatoes & brussel sprouts prepped before a scheduled meeting with our educational consultant about Maddie’s college application process {GASP}…sorry, no pictures as I was under the proverbial gun!
Horseradish Mashed Potatoes…
- 6 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled & quartered
- 2 tablespoons créme fraîche
- 4-6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons freshly prepared horseradish (I use Bubbie’s brand)
- Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
- Heat potatoes to boiling in a large pot of boiling water over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium & continue to cook until potatoes become fork-tender.
- Strain potatoes and then return to the hot pot removed from the stove/heat. Add créme fraîche and butter & mash. Add horseradish and stir to combine. Season with salt & pepper.
Oven-Roasted Brussel Sprouts
- 1 pound brussel sprouts, stemmed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- Combine brussel sprouts, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl, stirring to combine. Pour the seasoned vegetables into a ceramic baking dish and roast for 30-40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Toss half-way through roasting. Season with more salt, if necessary, and serve immediately.
So here we are…dinner has been prepared and is waiting for us in the kitchen as I sit here with our educational consultant planning my oldest child’s path to college…what happened to that colicky baby that wouldn’t let me sleep for 5 years? I really could use a glass of wine right now but I don’t think that is a good idea. Our meeting began at 4:30pm and it is now 6:45pm {the consultant is just leaving} & I am numb with information. No dinner photos tonight, hell…it was all I could do to get dinner on the table after our reality check into the college application process…
It gets better…while I sat with Maddie and our EdCon, Michael was working with Max {our 8th grader} to help him select his freshman courses because we need to register him this week! I cannot believe I am going to put this in writing, but I suddenly long for the days of diapers…everything now seems so permanent. I remember it being so hard having three babies and I thought to myself …it is going to get easier. It really doesn’t though…it just gets different. They grow up so fast…I know it doesn’t seem fast when you are living through nursing sessions, sleepless nights & every other pediatric ailment {strep throat, ear infections, etc.} but, all of a sudden you are sitting at the dining room table planning your child’s “gap” year abroad. And , if {as a parent} you do your job well {and have a lot of luck} your child is ready to flee the nest after 18 short years.
So, tonight I haven’t any photos to share of mashed potatoes or brussel sprouts but here is a picture, retrieved from a time when macaroni & cheese vs. hot dog was the toughest decision of the day…
Here’s to a Great Week…
- 1 6-pound, flat-cut, beef brisket
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 8 medium onions. thickly sliced
- 5-6 ounces, organic tomato paste
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 large {or 2 small} carrot, peeled
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
- In a small bowl, combine flour and salt & pepper to taste, stirring to combine. Lightly dust the brisket with the seasoned flour. Heat the oil, over medium-high heat, in a large ovenproof, enameled, cast-iron pot with a tight-fitting lid...just large enough to hold the brisket, snugly. Add the brisket to the pot and brown on both sided until crusty brown areas appear on the surface here and there, 7 minutes per side.
- Transfer brisket to a platter, turn up the heat a bit, then add {all of those} onions to the pot and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Continue cooking until the onions have softened and developed a rich, brown color but have not yet caramelized, 15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and place the brisket {and any accumulated juices} on top of the onions.
- Spread the tomato paste over the brisket as if you were frosting a cake. Sprinkle the meat with salt & more pepper taste, then add the garlic cloves and the carrot{s} to the pot. Cover the pot, transfer to the oven and cook brisket for 1½ hours.
- Transfer the brisket to a cutting board {preferably one with a well around the edges to catch the juice from the meat} and, using a very sharp carving knife, slice the meat across the grain into approximately ⅛-inch-thick slices. Return the sliced brisket to the pot, overlapping the slices at an angle so that you can see a bit of the edge of each slice. The end result should resemble the original unsliced brisket leaning slightly backward. Check the seasonings and, if the sauce appears dry, add a few tablespoons of water to the pot.
- Cover the pot and return to the oven. Lower the heat to 325°F and cook until the brisket is fork-tender, 1½ - 2 hours. Check once or twice during cooking, basting the meat each time, to make sure that the liquid has not bubbled away. Add a few teaspoons of water but no more.
- It is ready to serve with its juices but, in fact, it's even better the second day. It also freezes well.
- 6 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled & quartered
- 2 tablespoons créme fraîche
- 4-6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons freshly prepared horseradish (I use Bubbie's brand)
- Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
- Heat potatoes to boiling in a large pot of boiling water over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium & continue to cook until potatoes become fork-tender.
- Strain potatoes and then return to the hot pot removed from the stove/heat. Add créme fraîche and butter & mash. Add horseradish and stir to combine. Season with salt & pepper.
- 1 pound brussel sprouts, stemmed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- Combine brussel sprouts, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl, stirring to combine. Pour the seasoned vegetables into a ceramic baking dish and roast for 30-40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Toss half-way through roasting. Season with more salt, if necessary, and serve immediately.
I love the photo of the kids. Just precious. I don’t know how you managed to cook after a day like that. I would have ordered a pizza…
Bev…seems like just yesterday they were that size! The great thing about the brisket is that it cooks slow and long without the need for much tending. I had the potatoes and brussel sprouts sliced, diced and staged before the meeting. We finished with the consultant at 6:45 and were eating dinner by 7:05! Thanks for stopping by!!!
Can hardly wait to show the Texan the Waxman version of brisket! I’m planning on growing horseradish in the garden (next to the potatoes) so yet another recipe to add to the arsenal.
Love the fam picture, as I have been looking down memory lane today. I especially like photos that show the kids with chubby hands-makes me want to squeeze the cheeks!
Terry {the “Texan”} is the toughest customer but I think he will like Waxman’s version of brisket. When I was working in Manhattan, I had the opportunity {on several occasions} to try Waxman’s sandwiches…they were out-of-this-world GREAT! BTW…I want a garden tour ~ horseradish & all…