Instructions
Follow the steps and taste along the way.
Brown the beef
Pat the beef dry and cut it into roughly 3 cm cubes. Season it with 3 g of the salt and the pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy pot and brown the beef on all sides in two batches, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer the browned beef to a plate.
Make the wine base
Dice the onion and carrot finely, and mince the garlic. Cook them in the same pot for 5 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste and thyme and cook for 1 more minute. Pour in the wine, scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and let it bubble briskly for 3 minutes.
Braise the ragù slowly
Return the beef and any juices from the plate to the pot. Pour in the stock, add the bay leaf and the remaining 4 g of salt. The liquid should almost cover the beef. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover the pot, and transfer it to an oven preheated to 160 °C. Braise for 2 hours 30 minutes, until the beef is tender and easily pulls apart with a fork. If the sauce is too thin, simmer it uncovered for 5 minutes at the end.
Cook the celeriac and potatoes
While the beef is braising, peel the celeriac and potatoes and cut them into roughly 3 cm pieces. Put them in a pot with 2 l of water, bring to a boil, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until easily pierced with a knife. Drain and leave to steam dry for 1 minute.
Finish the mash and season the sauce
Mash or press the celeriac and potatoes through a ricer. Whisk in the warm milk and butter until the mash is smooth. Remove the bay leaf from the ragù, stir in the wine vinegar, and taste; the sauce should be rich with a gently bright acidity. Serve the hot ragù over the mash.
