Pearl onions are one of the few things that I buy prepared in advance for me; I hate how fiddly they are to peel but there are a few recipes where only they will do, rather than the chopped onion that I usually substitute when they are called for. This is one of those recipes. Coq au Vin is another.
Short ribs have been on sale several times in the past few weeks and, while my mind automatically goes to a long braise in a red wine sauce, this week I wanted something creamy, yet sharp. The mustard steeps into the meat, and the root vegetables add a hint of sweetness to the tang of the sauce. I used white carrots along with the parsnips though ordinary orange carrots will, of course, work as well.
Last but not least, I usually put cooked potatoes through a ricer and then add more than enough, and then some, cream and butter to make for the most sinful, smooth, rich mashed potatoes that you could imagine. I felt that short ribs and mustard needed something more robust so the mashed potatoes in this meal are hand mashed enthusiastically with a fork and, as illustrated in the photo above, chunky and able to stand up to a rich sauce.
4 lbs meaty beef short ribs
3 parsnips, peeled and cut into coins or sliced into batons according to your preference
3 carrots, peeled and cut in the same shape as the parsnips
12 pearl onions
2 sprigs rosemary
1/2 cup beef stock
1/2 cup sour cream
1 heaping Tbps grain mustard
1 tsp olive oil
4 large potatoes
2 Tbsps butter
1/4 cup milk
1 cup wild arugula
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 325.
Put the olive oil in a large dutch oven and heat on the stove top over medium heat. While the oil is heating, salt and pepper the meat liberally on all sides. Brown the short ribs in the dutch oven until deep brown on all sides. This will take a couple of minutes per side and will need to be done in several batches. It is fiddly work but if you crowd the pan the meat won't brown properly.
Once all the meat has been browned, remove the dutch oven from the heat and add all the meat back to it, along with the pearl onions, the root vegetables and the rosemary. Pour over the stock and put the dutch oven, covered, in the oven. Cook for 2 1/2 hours, stirring once half way through, until the meat is falling off the bone and the vegetables are confit in the stock and meat juices.
About half an hour before the meat is done, peel the potatoes, cut them into bite-sized pieces and put them in a pan of lightly salted water. Cook over medium heat for 22 minutes.
After 22 minutes, turn off the heat, add the arugula and stir well. Drain into a colander.
Return the potatoes and arugula to the pan, along with the butter and milk. Using a fork, mash the potatoes coarsely. Add salt and check for seasoning,
When the meat is done, remove from the oven and fish out the rosemary stems; the needles will be mixed in with the vegetables. Add the mustard and the sour cream and stir until well combined with the broth in which the meat cooked. Check for seasoning.
Divide the short ribs among 4 plates, along with some of the vegetables and a side of mashed potatoes. Douse your plate in the mustard cream sauce and enjoy.
There should be some sauce and vegetables left. If that is the case, add about a cup of beef broth and blend well using your immersion blender. This makes an interesting root vegetable soup for 2, for lunch the next day. If you have mashed potatoes left then please make Irish potato cakes. These are delicious with drinks, as a side dish for a pork chop or, as was the case in Pity Party's house, inhaled by a 14-year old for his after school snack.