Beef Short Ribs with Whipped Sweet Potatoes and Sautéed Kale

Who doesn’t love the look of this dish?  The beef short ribs are fall off-the-bone tender and the sweet potatoes are heavenly, but I’ll let you be the judge of that. You have to take the leap and make this if you want to find out how good this dish really is. Trust me on this one,  and don’t forget to thank me later.

I admit, there are a lot of beautiful flavor profiles going on here!  The sweet and slightly tangy balance from the beef short ribs; the coconut presence and lightness of the sweet potatoes and the buttery goodness of perfectly sautéed, garlicky kale. It truly is heaven on a plate and just in time for Fall.

I am a huge fan of everything Fall.  The bounty of fruits and vegetables in the fall season, is truly spectacular and gives a hearty nod to creating great comfort food.  This dish really came together in my mind, before I even hit the grocery store.  I don’t eat a lot of beef now, but when I do indulge, it better be fantastic.  I’ve sampled short ribs from other people and their attempts were great.  Some people like to braise, or bake and even grill short ribs.  Since short ribs are taken from the chuck cut and because it consists of layers of fat and meat, they are very tough and require a long, slow, moist-heat cooking method, such as braising.  So whatever method you choose make sure the sauce is nothing short of AMAZING!  This red-wine and Demi-Glace ladened sauce offers the very best in richness and balance, and the addition of vinegar truly ads something special to the dish without dominating it.  What is Demi-Glace?  Without getting technical,  it is half brown sauce (Espagnole, which is a mother sauce), half brown stock, reduced by half.  It is usually finished with a small amount of Madeira or sherry wine.  It is a base that produces even richer, finer small sauces. The carrots, onions, garlic and tomatoes form the perfect bond in creating the most beautiful flavor profile.

Although the dish started in my mind, I did take some time to research some recipes for further inspiration. There are literally hundreds of recipes, however I did find one on Epicurious that is similar to Beef Bourguignon by Walter Manke.  I knew that red wine and beef broth is typically used along with some sort of tomato product, like tomato paste and/or canned, whole tomatoes that are puréed.

I like sweet reds, so instead of using a dry red wine I opted for a Sweet Shiraz, like Jam Jar.  It adds just the right amount of sweetness to offset the vinegar that is used without compromising the taste.  I used tomato paste and veal Demi-Glace instead of whole canned tomatoes and beef stock.  You heat a dutch oven over medium-high heat, add vegetable oil and let heat for another minute.  Season the beef short ribs liberally with kosher salt and ground black pepper.  Sear short ribs on all sides in batches, if necessary and transfer to a plate.  To the same dutch oven, add the carrots, onions and garlic.  Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and cook until softened.  Add the tomato paste, and wine and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Add beef broth or veal Demi-Glace (along with 4 cups of water if using demi), bay leaf, vinegar, and thyme.  Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings, if necessary.  Bring sauce to a simmer, skimming fat from the surface occasionally.  Add seared short ribs pack to the pot, cover and place in a 250º oven for 4 to 5 hours.

I’ve had many versions of mashed sweet potatoes, and none have come close to that of Mrs. Domineck and Mrs. Monroe.  I met Mrs. Monroe at Elizabeth Baptist Church in Atlanta.  We worked together for years, under the direction of Mrs. Domineck, creating some awesome experiences with food.  These ladies cooking talent and skills could absolutely rival any chefs in the industry.  Let’s talk about these sweet potatoes.  It really is sweet potato pie, without the crust.  The first spoonful I had was pure bliss.  I was in culinary heaven.  They were sweet, buttery, creamy and full of wonderful flavors!

There’s no need to peel the sweet potatoes first.  Just boil them and once they are fork tender and cooled, the skin will slide right off.  You can actually thank me now for that cooking tip.  Save your peeling energy for another task.  Once you have peeled the potatoes, toss them into a large bowl of an electric mixer.  Whip potatoes until smooth, being careful not to reintroduce the “strings” that have collected on the attachment, back into the potatoes.  Add an insane amount of sugar, or not.  You can substitute agave nectar or applesauce for sweetness; melted butter, evaporated milk, vanilla, lemon and coconut extract.  I have used Coco Lopez at times, if I did not have immediate access to coconut extract.  Mix until well combined, taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary!  I can’t stress enough, the importance of seasoning AND tasting EVERY LAYER of your food.

The sautéed kale rounds out this dish and makes it perfect.  You can use collard greens, or spinach.