Escondidinho de Carne

Ingredients

• 700 g chuck steak
• 1 kg cassava (yuca)
• 3 medium tomato
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 large onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 whole bay leaf
• 60 g butter
• 150 ml milk
• 200 g grated cheese
• 30 ml olive oil

Steps

1. Season chuck steak with salt and pepper; sear in a heavy pot in olive oil until browned.
2. Add chopped onion, minced garlic, and a bay leaf; cook until onion softens.
3. Stir in chopped tomato and tomato paste; cook 5 minutes.
4. Add water to just cover the beef; simmer covered 90 minutes until fork-tender.
5. Shred the beef with two forks; reduce any remaining liquid to a thick sauce and mix back in.
6. Meanwhile, peel and boil yuca in salted water 25 minutes until soft; drain.
7. Mash the yuca with butter, milk, and salt until smooth and creamy.
8. Spread the shredded beef in a baking dish; blanket with the yuca mash and top with grated cheese.
9. Bake at 200°C for 20 minutes until the top is golden and bubbling.
10. Rest 5 minutes and serve.

Tips

• Yuca mash MUST be well-mashed — chunks turn stringy on baking.
• A pinch of nutmeg in the mash makes it sing.