Oxtail Bourguignonne

This yummy recipe hails from the February 2011 issue of "Bon Appetit." DH and I easily halved the recipe. This meal is good for a weekend when you have a lot of time on your hands--it is not difficult, but takes awhile to make. The meat came out very tender. We used merlot for the wine, an assortment of mushrooms, and dried bay leaves. We served with roasted asparagus and Mashed Potatoes and Leeks With Thyme 251600 to soak up the sauce.

• Ready In: 4 hrs 55 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 8  slices fatty bacon, chopped
•  olive oil
• 3  large  fresh italian parsley sprigs
• 3  large fresh thyme sprigs
• 2  large  fresh bay leaves, bruised
• 1  tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1  tablespoon butter
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 4 -4 1⁄4 lbs  meaty oxtail pieces trimmed of excess  fat
• 2  cups  chopped onions
• 1  cup  diced carrot, plus 6 medium carrots cut into 2 inch chunks
• 4  large garlic cloves, peeled, 1 minced, 3 left whole
• 1 3⁄4 cups beef broth
• 1 1⁄2 cups  red Burgundy wine (such as Beaujolais)
• 1  lb cremini mushroom, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
• 12  small shallots, blanched one minute, peeled

Directions

1. Cook bacon in heavy large pot over medium-high heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to plate. Pour drippings into small bowl.
2. Return 6 Tb drippings to pot (add olive oil, if necessary, to measure 6 Tb total; reserve bacon for another use).
3. Tie parsley, thyme, and bay leaves together for bouquet garni.
4. Stir 1 Tb flour and butter in small bowl to smooth paste.
5. Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, 2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, and nutmeg in medium bowl. Add oxtails, a few pieces at a time, to seasoned flour and toss to coat.
6. Heat bacon drippings in pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add oxtails and brown on all sides, about 6 minutes per batch. Transfer oxtails to bowl after each batch.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add chopped onions, diced carrot, and minced garlic to pot. Saute until onions soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Return oxtails and any accumulated juices to pot. Add bouquet garni, then broth and wine. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer until meat is almost tender, adjusting heat occasionally to maintain gentle simmer, about 3 hours.
8. Mix in mushrooms, shallots, carrot chunks, and whole garlic cloves. Increase heat and return to boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover pot and simmer gently until meat and vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes longer.
9. Tilt pot and spoon off any fat that rises to surface. Stir flour paste into stew. Simmer uncovered until sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
10. Do Ahead: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool 1 hour. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated. Rewarm over low heat before serving.