Rosh Hashanah Recipe Box: Braised Beef Short Rib Potato Pot Pies

My issue of Martha Stewart Living arrived the other day and a version of these pot pies were on the cover calling my name.

Now when it comes to Martha Stewart and recipes I really am not a fan, I find that they normally don’t work. However, she is a great source of inspiration and the truth is

when it comes to me and cooking, a little inspiration is all I really need.

So last night I made my version of Martha’s  cover recipe and with a few tweaks,  like regular Budweiser beer instead of Stout, red potatoes with skins and put it all into a big round pie dish.

The results were amazingly delicious and where I thought the beer would be too bitter, it made the meat moist and infused it (with the help of the onions) with a savory sweet flavor.

I will be definitely making this for Yom Tov this year, maybe even attempting to do them in the original individual versions that Martha had suggested.

Now I warn you this recipe take time – for the meat to be soft and delicious you must let it cook slow and long (the braising part of this recipe). Even after the meat is cooked you then have to assemble your pie and cook the potatoes to get that crispy heavenly crust. A small effort overall – with very large and tasty payoff!

Make this by in advance – it will freeze beautifully.

Braised Beef Short Rib Potato Pot Pie

Ingredients:

4 lbs boneless beef short ribs (you can use flankin meat as well)

Kosher salt and Black Pepper

½ cup flour

3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

4 Spanish white onions, julienne

5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 bottles of  Budweiser beer (3 cups)

2 tbsp. dried rosemary – or 2-3 fresh rosemary sprigs

For the Topping:

6 Medium Red Potatoes or Russet Potatoes, sliced into thin rounds

Extra virgin olive oil for brushing

Kosher salt and black pepper

Directions:

Make the Filling: Pre-heat oven to 300F

1. Sprinkle salt and pepper generously over short ribs. Dredge ribs in flour, coating all sides.

In a large dutch oven , heat the olive oil over high heat.

Brown the Short Ribs, about 1-2 minutes per side. And transfer to a large plate .

2. Reduce heat to medium and add another 1 tbsp. of olive oil and all the onions to the same dirty Dutch oven.

Cook the onions for about 8-10 minutes until golden brown, make sure to scrape up any good brown bits left at the bottom of the pan with your wooden spoon and mix into the onions.

Add the garlic. Cook for another 2 minutes and then return the short ribs to the dutch oven. Add the beer and the rosemary. Bring to a simmer. Cover and transfer to the oven and bake for about 2 ½ hours.

3. Remove Dutch oven from oven. Remove meat and cooked onions with slotted spoon into your 12 inch pie/gratin dish. Shred meat using 2 forks. Season with salt and pepper.

Add a little liquid that was left over to the pie dish.

4. Make the topping: Raise the oven temperature to 375. Take the thinly sliced potatoes you have cut (preferably on a mandolin) and arrange them around the top of the meat to form tight concrete circles. Work your way from around the edge and overlapping each potato by three-quarters. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with some more salt and pepper.

5.Bake in oven till the potatoes have turned a beautiful crispy golden brown. About 45 minutes to an hour.