miso-braised short ribs with mashed murasaki potatoes

Step 1

For the short ribs: season the short ribs generously with salt and black pepper (24 hours before, but fine to do it asap or just before cooking).

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. in a large dutch oven, heat a vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear the short ribs on all sides for about 1-2 minutes on each side.

Step 3

To get a perfect sear, don’t move the ribs around the pan in between flipping them. leave them unbothered in the pan unless it’s time to flip. Searing the short ribs will leave a lot of “burnt” black and brown bits at the bottom of the pan – do not rinse the pan! all of that flavor will lift as soon as the liquid is added later.

Step 4

Set the seared short ribs aside on a plate and in the same pot, add onions and sauté over medium heat for about 1 minute.

Step 5

Add garlic and leeks and continue stirring for another 1-2 minutes until the leeks have softened. add stock, soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, and miso – stir and bring to a lower simmer over medium heat. add short ribs to the liquid – they should be almost covered by the liquid but not fully.

Step 6

Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven to braise for about 3 to 4 hours – during the last 45 minutes, remove the lid and increase the temperature to 350 degrees.

Step 7

For the mashed potatoes: to use water instead of dashi broth, skip to the next step. in a large stockpot, add 4 cups of water and a dashi packet.

Step 8

Bring to a low simmer and remove the dashi packet two minutes after the water starts to simmer. Add the potatoes to the water and bring to a rolling boil – cook for 40 minutes to an hour until you can very easily pierce the potatoes all the way through with a butter knife.

Step 9

Drain the water from the pot, reserving about 1/2 cup (just in case you need to thin out the potatoes). Allow the potatoes to cool for about 5 minutes and then peel. using the a fork, mash the potatoes in the pot and add heavy cream and butter and continue to mash. For a smoother consistency, use an immersion blender or handheld mixer to whip the potatoes. serve with short ribs and greens and top with extra butter to taste.