Short Ribs Braised with Potatoes and Mustard

The best way to cook short ribs is in liquid until they are really tender, practically mushy, with all the fat melted away; their superb flavor will intensify any liquid surrounding them. But sometimes short ribs take a really long time to get tender, so don’t add the potatoes to this dish until the meat is just done. Other cuts and meats you can use: beef shank, shin, cheeks, or oxtail; cooking times will probably be a little longer.

2 tablespoons neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn, or extra virgin olive oil

3 pounds meaty short ribs, more or less

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chicken, beef, or vegetable stock (to make your own, see vegetable stock
) or water, or more if needed

1 pound waxy red or white potatoes, peeled, halved if large

Dry red wine if needed

2 tablespoons Dijon or other good mustard

Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

• Put the oil in a large pot with a lid or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, brown the short ribs well on all sides, sprinkling them with salt and pepper as they cook and adjusting the heat so the ribs don’t burn, 20 minutes or so; don’t rush it. (You can also do the initial browning in the oven: Heat the oven to 500 F and roast the ribs, turning once or twice, until brown all over; the time will still be about 20 minutes.)
• Transfer the ribs to a plate, pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat, and turn the heat down to medium.
• Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in the stock and some salt and pepper. Return the ribs to the pot, raise the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is fairly tender, about an hour longer.
• Add the potatoes and cook, turning the ribs in the stock every 15 minutes or so and adding a little more liquid— stock, water, or dry red wine—if the mixture seems dry. The dish is done when the meat is very tender and almost falling off the bone and the potatoes are soft, at least another 30 minutes. (At this point, you may use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat and vegetables to a platter and refrigerate them and the stock overnight. The next day, skim the fat from the stock, add the meat and vegetables back to it, and reheat.) Stir the mustard into the stew, taste and adjust the seasonings, garnish with parsley, and serve.

Short Ribs with Horseradish.
• When the ribs are done, transfer them and the potatoes to a platter and keep warm. Turn the heat to high and reduce the cooking liquid to about 1 cup. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar and 2 tablespoons freshly grated or prepared horseradish, or to taste. Pour the sauce over the ribs, garnish, and serve hot.

Short Ribs with Cinnamon.
• Omit the onions, stock, potatoes, red wine, and mustard. Proceed with Step 1, then skip Step 2. Add two 28-ounce cans whole plum tomatoes, with their juice, 3 tablespoons roughly chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves; partially cover and cook at a gentle bubble, stirring occasionally, for least 11/2 hours, until the meat falls from the bone; if the sauce begins to get too thick, add a little water and continue to cook.
• If you’re serving this as a pasta sauce, remove the bones from the sauce and break the meat up with a spoon. Taste and adjust the seasoning, garnish, and serve.

MAKES: 4 servings

TIME: 2 hours or more, largely unattended