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Braised Beef Short Ribs with Horseradish-Potato Purée, Parslied Shallots and Red Wine Jus

Charlie Trotter's Meat & Game from Charlie Trotter's Meat and Game
Charlie Trotter
Another big and beautiful book by Charlie Trotter. Certainly not meant for the home cook and sure to be copied by the professional, this book with it's glossy photos could easily pass for a coffee table book. If you have a local purveyor of exotic game this could be the book for you if looking for new inspiration. Otherwise it remains the stuff that chef's dreams are made of...$80.00.

Food doesn't get any more soulful that this. The short ribs are cooked to the point at which a spoon is all that is needed to shred the meat. The horseradish-potato purée provides a creamy, satiny element, with a playful bite. Roasted parslied shallots and Red Wine Jus help to lighten the richness of the meat, and grated horseradish adds a final note of lively heat that splendidly finishes the dish.

Serves 4

8 short ribs, trimmed of excess fat
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1 cup chopped Spanish onion
1 cup chopped leek
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 jalapeño chiles, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 cups red wine
1 cup coarsely grated horseradish
3 sprigs rosemary
1 1/2 cups Chicken Stock (see Appendices)
16 small shallots
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk, hot
1/2 cup plus 4 teaspoons finely grated horseradish
1/2 cup Red Wine Jus (see below)

Method

To prepare the ribs: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Sear the ribs with the grapeseed oil in a hot roasting pan over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove the ribs from the roasting pan and set aside.

Cook the onion, leek, garlic, and jalapeños in the roasting pan over medium-high heat for 7 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Add the red wine, coarsely grated horseradish, rosemary, and Chicken Stock and bring to a simmer. Return the ribs to the pan and cover with aluminum foil. Braise in the oven for 3 to 4 hours, or until the meat is fork tender. (The braising liquid may be strained, reduced, and used as a sauce.)

To prepare the shallots: Place the shallots in an ovenproof pan with the olive oil and cover with aluminum foil. Roast at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until tender. Toss the shallots with the parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To prepare the potatoes: Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain and pass through a ricer. Place the potatoes in a medium bowl with the butter, 1/2 cup of the milk, and 1/2 cup of the finely grated horseradish and whip until smooth. Place in a saucepan and whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup milk until the mixture has a ribbon-like consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Assembly: Arrange some of the shallots and ribs in the centre of each plate. Spoon a ring of the horseradish purée around the plate. Spoon the Red Wine Jus over the ribs and sprinkle with the remaining four tablespoons finely grated horseradish.

Substitutions: Pork, oxtail, lamb shank

Wine Notes: An American classic, this dish is made for a classic American red wine, Merlot from California. The sweet, caramelized onion and leek are countered by the spice from the jalapeños and horseradish, and a ripe, juicy Merlot adds just the right fruit component. Pride Mountain crafts the ideal plush, big-fruit style. Martin Ray's Diamond Mountain from Napa Valley is a bigger, deeper wine that also works well with this course.

Red Wine Jus

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

1 1/2 cups chopped Spanish onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
1 orange, peeled and chopped
6 cups Burgundy
3 cups Port

Method: Place the onion, carrot, and celery in the canola oil in a medium saucepan and sauté over high heat for 10 minutes, or until golden brown and caramelized. Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer over medium heat, uncovered, for 1 hour. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and return to the saucepan. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, or until reduced to 1 1/2 cups.