Pork Cheek Stew with fries & marinated tomatoes - Glenn Desimpel

Preparation time:
25 minutes + 2 hours

Ingredients (for 4 people):

• 1 kg pork cheeks
• 2 bottles St Bernardus ABT 12 (dark beer)
• 2 onions
• 1 clove garlic
• 50 g butter
• Salt and pepper
• Bay leaf
• Thyme
• Stew spices
• 1 slice bread
• 2 tbsp whole grain mustard
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 kg potatoes (for French fries)
• 6 tomatoes
• 1 shallot
• 4 tbsp corn oil
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• Parsley

Preparation:

1. Take the meat out of the fridge for 30 minutes to let it reach at room temperature. Chop the onions and garlic. Melt some butter in a large casserole pan and sear the meat all around until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the pan and set aside (keep warm).

2. Next, fry the onions and garlic in the same pan in another knob of butter. Add the meat to the caramelised onions, add the sugar and stewing spices and deglaze with the bottled beer. Stir well. Add the thyme and the bay leaf. Spread the mustard on the bread slices and place them on top of the meat. Put the lid on the stew and simmer on low heat for 2 hours. Stir frequently.

3. Slice the tomatoes into wedges, finely chop the shallot and the parsley. Make a marinade from the corn oil and vinegar, add the shallot and the parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Dribble the marinade over the tomatoes and set aside to marinate at room temperature.

4. Peel the potatoes and cut into fries. Rinse with cold water and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Heat the deep fryer to 140°C and fry the fries a first time for 4 minutes. Remove from the pan, drain well, and increase the temperature of the fryer to 175°C. Fry the fries a second time at 175°C for 4 minutes. Shake well and drain on kitchen paper.

Serve the pork cheeks with the tomato salad and freshly prepared fries!