Oxtails are considered the best bones for making beef stock, due to the robust flavor from the marrow and the tasty meat on the bones. For this recipe, don't dare debone the oxtail because the meal is the bones!

6 lbs. meaty oxtails
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1⁄4 cup flour
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups red wine
4 large yellow onions, peeled and sliced
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf and 1 sprig each flat-leaf
   parsley and thyme, tied in a bundle)
1 cup Beef Stock

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Season oxtails with salt and pepper and lightly dust with flour.

2. Heat oil in a large ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Cook oxtails, turning to brown on all sides, for 8 minutes. Remove oxtails. Skim off excess fat, and deglaze with wine over medium heat. Stir well to loosen browned bits on bottom of pan.

3. Add onions and garlic to pot, arrange oxtails in one layer on top, and add bouquet garni. Cover and cook in oven until meat pulls easily from the bone, about 3 hours. Transfer oxtails to a platter, top with onions and garlic. Discard bouquet garni.

4. For sauce, skim fat from pan juices with a large spoon. Add stock; cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings, and spoon over oxtails. Serve with mashed potatoes.