Braised Short Ribs with Smoked Olives

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 6 servings
  • Total: 4 hr 45 min (includes cooling time)
  • Active: 1 hr
Once you learn the fundamentals of braised short ribs, you can experiment with different vegetables, herbs and spices. I included two umami flavor boosters here, anchovies and tamari, but you can omit them if you don't have them on hand. You will still have a classic, rich and delicious meal to keep you warm through winter. My pommes puree is loaded with butter and milk, but the real key is using Yukon gold potatoes. This is the last thing I do when serving a big holiday meal, because they have to be eaten right away. And remember, serve warm and not piping hot, because if they get too hot, the butter will separate.
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Ingredients

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 yellow onions, cut into eighths

2 medium carrots, cut into thick slices

2 medium parsnips, cut into thick slices

2 large leeks, washed thoroughly and cut into thick slices

Kosher salt

4 heads garlic, halved crosswise

3/4 cup smoked olives

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

8 sprigs fresh rosemary

8 sprigs fresh thyme

2 fresh bay leaves

6 thick center-cut bone-in short ribs, each about 3/4 pound

4 oil-packed anchovies

One 750-milliliter bottle red wine

2 cups beef stock

2 tablespoons tamari

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Pommes Puree, recipe follows, or cooked egg noodles, for serving

Pommes Puree:

3 pounds large Yukon gold potatoes

2 cups heavy cream, warmed

1 pound (4 sticks) European-style salted butter, diced and kept cold

Kosher salt

Chopped fresh chives, for garnish

Directions

Special equipment:
a potato ricer
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the Dutch oven is hot but not smoking, add the onions, carrots, parsnips, leeks and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic, smoked olives, coriander seeds, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. Remove the vegetables to a bowl.
  3. Sprinkle all sides of the short ribs with salt. Heat a Dutch oven over high heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sear the short ribs on all sides. Add the vegetables back to the pan, along with the anchovies, wine, beef stock and tamari to just cover the ribs and bring to a simmer. Place the cover on the Dutch oven and transfer to the oven. Simmer the ribs, turning them every 30 minutes, until they are tender and fall apart with no resistance, about 3 hours.
  4. Remove the ribs to a platter. Let the braising liquid cool so the grease floats to the top. Skim and discard the grease with a large spoon. Place the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce for 5 minutes, then add the sherry vinegar. Plate the short ribs with Pommes Puree or egg noodles, using the reduced braising liquid as a sauce.

Pommes Puree:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. On a parchment-lined sheet pan, arrange the potatoes in an even layer. Bake the potatoes until tender, about 45 minutes. Let the potatoes cool slightly until able to be handled but still hot. Peel the potatoes.
  3. Add one potato at a time to a ricer and rice the potatoes into a pot. Add the warm cream to the potatoes and some pieces of butter. Whisk until smooth. Continue to add most of the remaining butter, whisking piece by piece, reserving 1 to 2 tablespoons to finish. Season the potatoes with salt.
  4. Fill a small Dutch oven with hot water to warm it up. Dump the water and transfer the potatoes to the pot. Top with the remaining butter and garnish with the chives.

Let's Get Cooking!

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Silvia S.

My family LOVED this recipe and it definitely has become a staple in our house. FYI your written recipe isn't written in the order it was filmed, I luckily went by the recorded episode and realized your recipe needs correction, especially the ingredient garlic, its four cloves not four heads of garlic.

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