Slow-cooked beef short ribs with rosemary mash

Serves - 4

You’ll need

• 4 beef short ribs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, cut into chunky pieces
• 2 celery sticks, cut into chunky pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 200ml red wine
• 500ml beef stock
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

For the rosemary mash
• 800g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 50g butter
• 100ml milk, warmed
• 1 rosemary sprig, leaves very finely chopped
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Brown the ribs properly

Heat the oven to 160°C fan. Pat the short ribs dry with kitchen paper and season them well all over with salt and black pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large casserole dish over a medium-high heat, then brown the ribs on all sides until they have taken on a good deep colour. Do this properly rather than hurriedly – this is where a good deal of the flavour starts.

2. Build the base

Lift the ribs out onto a plate for a moment. Add the onion, carrots and celery to the pan with a small pinch of salt and cook for 8–10 minutes until softened and just starting to catch. Stir in the garlic and tomato purée and cook for another minute or two, then sprinkle in the flour and stir well so everything is coated.

3. Add the wine and stock

Pour in the red wine and let it bubble for 2–3 minutes, scraping up any good bits caught on the bottom of the pan. Add the beef stock, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves, then return the short ribs to the dish. The liquid should come most of the way up the meat without completely drowning it.

4. Cook low and slow

Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven for 3–3½ hours, until the meat is deeply tender and nearly falling from the bone. Turn the ribs once during cooking if you remember. If they still seem a little stubborn at the end, give them another 20–30 minutes. This is not a dish that responds well to impatience.

5. Make the rosemary mash

Towards the end of the cooking time, put the potatoes into a large pan of well-salted cold water and bring to the boil. Cook for 15–20 minutes until tender, then drain well and leave them to steam dry for a minute or two. Mash with the butter, warm milk and finely chopped rosemary until smooth enough but still with a bit of character. Season well with salt and black pepper.

6. Finish the sauce

Lift the short ribs out carefully and keep them warm. Remove the rosemary stalks, thyme stalks and bay leaves from the sauce, then skim off any excess fat if needed. If the sauce looks a little thin, put the casserole back on the hob and let it bubble away for 5–10 minutes until reduced slightly. Taste and adjust the seasoning. It should be rich, savoury and very definitely worth your time.

7. Serve

Spoon the rosemary mash onto plates or into bowls, sit the short ribs on top, and ladle over plenty of the sauce and vegetables. Finish with a final grind of black pepper and take to the table while everything still looks gloriously serious.

A couple of helpful notes

- Beef short ribs vary a bit in size, so cooking time may need a small nudge either way depending on how chunky yours are.
- The sauce is often even better the next day, so this is a very good one to make ahead if you are feeling organised.
- If you want a smoother finish, you can lift out the vegetables and blend part of the sauce before serving, but leaving it rustic is no bad thing at all.