Party Ready Braised Ribs & “Rated R” Mash Potatoes
Seared ribs, potatoes & onion, slowly braised in an entire bottle of wine. It’s plentiful. It’s dramatic. It’s delicious. And frankly, a formidable way of saying goodbye to the year.
What I like the most about this dish -Apart from the fact that it looks like a freaking Renaissance painting- is actually how low effort it is.
Pretty much all you’re expected to do is put everything on a pot, partially cover it and let it cook, slowly for 5 to 8 hours. You can’t -and shouldn’t- rush this dish. All those hours allow for the meat to cook evenly and for it to become as tender as possible. It will fall off the bone in the most satisfying of ways.
The potatoes also get cooked in this wonderful liquid. When everything’s cooked, you can just fish them out (Use large potatoes, not mini ones like I used in the video), very roughly mash them and dress them with the braising liquid. They're textured. They have colour. They’re far from perfectly smooth and they have all that seared flavour from the potatoes. Call them MATURE Mash Potatoes. Rated R Mashed Potatoes.
The final touch for these is adding fresh, cold grapes from the vine. These provide a wonderful change in texture. They wake everything up in the plate, and to be honest, they make the entire ensemble look elevated chic and sexy -if I do say so myself -.
ingredients (Serves 10)
2 kilos Beef or Veil Short Ribs (Talk to your Butcher. Tell them how many people you're feeding. They’ll guide you best).
1 Large golden onion, quartered (Or 2 medium sized ones)
8 large Yukon gold potatoes, cut in halves.
1/2 stick of salted butter
1/4 cups heavy cream
6 garlic gloves
1 cup thyme sprigs
2 large lemons
1 bottle white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)
1L chicken or vegetable stalk
2 cups whole parsley leafs
1 cup whole mint leafs
1/2 cup (x3) Scallions, chopped on a bias
2 Large vines of purple grapes
Kosher salt & pepper to taste
instructions
Salt your short ribs generously on both sides
Bring a tall pot to heat on a high flame and coat the bottom of the pot with vegetable oil.
When the oil is shimmering and visibly very hot, start carefully dropping the short ribs on the pot, making sure they’re not overlapping with each other. They should all be making contact with the hot pot. The sizzle when dropping them in should be loud. You’ll likely have to work on batches. Don’t overcrowd your pot.
Leave to cook on one side, undisturbed for 3 / 4 minutes. Using tongs. check the colour of one of the pieces. It should be deeply golden brown. When you’ve achieved this colour, turn all pieces so that the top sides can get browned as well. When all pieces are dark and golden, set aside on a baking sheet and repeat the process with any remaining ribs.
When done, on the same pot, drop in your quartered onion(s). You want if possible big pieces of onion, cooking on one side for a couple minutes before turning. Season with salt & pepperYou want the onions to also develop a light char. Once they look done, set aside on the same tray as the ribs.
Cut your potatoes and season them with salt cut side down. On the same pot (and adding more oil, if the pot looks dry) drop the potatoes one by one, cut side down and let them sear for 3 to 5 minutes, until they’re also golden and brown. When done, set them aside on the same tray as the ribs and the onions.
Put everything back on the pot this time, and add the entire bottle of white wine as well as the chicken stock. The liquid should be covering everything in the pot.
Add one lemon, sliced with the seeds removed, (The seeds will make the dish taste bitter), add the garlic cloves, smashed by a fork, and the whole sprigs of Thyme. Season the whole thing with of salt and pepper. Taste it and consider the flavours will intensify during the cooking time.
Partially cover with a lid and let cook on a very low flame for 5 to 8 hours.
When ready to serve, using a pair of tongs or a large spoon, fish out the potato halves. Place them in the plate you intend to serve everything on and casually mash them. (They’re not supposed to be perfectly smooth. Feel free to be a bit negligent).
Cube up your butter and throw it in with the potatoes along with your cream. Mix everything with a big spoon and season with salt, pepper and spoon fulls of the braising liquid. Taste it and make sure you’re satisfied with the final taste of the potatoes.
Combine your ming & parsley leafs with your chopped scallion and drizzle the juice of half a lemon. Mix well.
When ready to serve, on top of your mashed potatoes, layer some herb salad, clumping it in places, then serve up the ribs with pieces of onion. Keep the process of serving salad and meat on top of each other.
When done, take your big vine of grapes and cut the vine into four chunks, and distribute these on the plate. Press them a bit so that they sink into the dish.
Dress the final plate with the juice of your remaining lemon half, more salt and pepper and a final drizzle of fresh olive oil.
