WINE & FOOD AFFAIR RECIPES

Main Dish

Short Rib Shepherd's Pie

Sanglier Cellars

422 Healdsburg Avenue
Healdsburg, CA 95448
sangliercellars.com

Short ribs are one of my husband's favorite meals, especially served with mashed potatoes. This shepherd's pie combines both into one grand dish. In England it is called shepherd's pie; in France, hachis parmentier. No matter its name, it is a soul-satisfying meal. The dense fruit and rich tannins of our Sanglier Left Tusque Cabernet enliven this hearty and rich dish. Enjoy! Melissa Alexander

Ingredients:
  • 4 bone-in beef short ribs, each about 2 1/4 pounds
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 3 1/2 cups dry red wine
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 4 cups beef stock, plus more as needed
  • 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 egg yolk, beaten
Directions:

Directions:

Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to overnight. Bring to room temperature and season again with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Heat a large sauté pan over high heat until hot. Pour in the olive oil and heat until shimmering. Working in batches, sear the short ribs on all sides, turning as needed, until well browned. Transfer to a Dutch oven. 

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the sauté pan and set over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, bay leaves and thyme, increase the heat to medium-high and boil until the wine is reduced by half. Add the stock and bring to a boil, then pour the contents of the pan over the ribs. They should be just covered with liquid; add more stock as needed.

Cover the pot, transfer to the oven and cook, adding more stock as needed to maintain the liquid level, until a fork slides easily through the meat, about 2 1/2 hours. Skim the fat off the sauce. Let the ribs cool in the liquid until they can be handled, then remove the ribs from the pot and pull the meat from the bones; discard the bones. Shred the meat into bite-size pieces and return to the pot.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and dry in the pan over low heat, then pass them through a ricer back into the warm pan. In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter until steaming. Pour into the potatoes, add the egg yolk and fold to mix well.

Increase the oven temperature to 400°F. Transfer the contents of the Dutch oven to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or divide among individual gratin dishes. Cover the top evenly with the potatoes. Bake until the topping is golden, 35 to 40 minutes.