Beef Short Ribs and Vegetables

A great autumn recipe utilizing some of the root veggies. I  love roasted vegetables, add some beef to that and I am delighted. 

If you've never used short ribs before and see them for the first time at the grocery store you may wonder what on earth THOSE would be good for. They look like fat and bone. Granted, that is a big portion of it but the meat that is attached is wonderfully tender. Slow roasting brings out the best as the fat melts and the meat cooks until it falls away from the bone.


3 lbs beef short ribs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
6 medium carrots, peeled and halved
12-14 baby red potatoes
1 medium onion quartered or 6 pearl onions
1 rutabaga, peeled and chunked
1 3/4 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons horse radish (find it on a top shelf in the cheese section of most grocery stores)
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 cup cold water

Trim excess fat from beef short ribs. Place ribs in a 13-9-inch baking pan or large shallow roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake uncovered for 2 hours then drain off excess fat. I ladled the excess into a heat proof measuring cup.

Peel, cut and wash carrots, potatoes, rutabaga and onions.

Rutabaga's are often confused with a turnip. They are in the same family but rutabaga has a milder flavor and grows well in colder climates. Which might explain my love for them. Chances are you don't have a crop growing so you will find them next to the turnips in the produce section. They will be larger than the turnip and have a wax coating. Don't worry about cuts in them like this one has. Rutabaga's are rugged and last a very long time. They are tough to peel and cut. The easiest way is to simply get a firm grip and use a vegetable peeler.

 

To cut the rutabaga place it on a cutting board and cut it in half, then quarters, then eights. 

In a large measuring cup or small bowl, combine the broth with horseradish and mustard; pour over meat and vegetables. If you don't have beef broth just dissolve 2 bullion cubes in boiling water.

Cover with foil and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours longer, or until tender. Arrange the beef short ribs and vegetables on a serving platter and keep warm.

Measure pan drippings and add a little water or broth, if necessary, to make 2 cups.

I have a gravy separator that I normally use to separate the liquid from the fat but for whatever reason I didn't use it tonight so my gravy is extra fatty.

Pour into a saucepan and place over medium heat.

In a cup or small bowl, mix cornstarch with cold water. Stir into the pan drippings and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Serve the pan gravy with the short ribs and vegetables by ladling it over all. We had buttermilk biscuits and peach cobbler along with this meal.