Borscht-Style Short Ribs + Garlic DilL mASHED pOTATOES

I’ve been on a fresh horseradish kick lately.

It all started last month, thanks to the most simple dish at Port Sa’id in the West Village. And when I say simple, I mean simple. The waiter even tried to steer us away from ordering it because of how simple it was: a baked potato, sour cream, salt, pepper, and a shit ton of freshly grated horseradish. Though, it was a perfectly baked and seasoned potato with the most luscious pile of sour cream and horseradish I could’ve only dreamt of before seeing in real life. I’ve thought about it at least once a week since my first bite of it, and I’ve already recreated it once.

So, that’s what started my fresh horseradish obsession, which is also what led me to creating this dish. I don’t know how these dots connected in my mind, but my very short chain of thoughts went like this: “steak with fresh grated horseradish…. borscht”

By no means is this traditional Borscht. But the dill and beets sure do compliment braised short ribs well and create a similar experience to Borscht.

The grated beet will help add a vibrant red color, though because this isn’t as beet-heavy as real borscht, it won’t be as vibrant red.

Here’s the order of events: season and sear short ribs, caramelize vegetables, season again, season more (this dish soaks up salt like a tomato sauce does, it needs a lot), deglaze, add beef back in and liquid, season again, simmer, braise in the oven, make mashed potatoes, reduce sauce from braise, plate, and the most important step, don’t skimp on the horseradish.

Borscht-Style Short Ribs with Garlic-Dill Mashed Potatoes and Fresh Horseradish

Serves 3 | Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: Roughly 3 hours

Short Ribs:

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 3 lbs. bone-in short ribs, cut into 3-inch pieces

• 1 white onion, medium dice

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 4 raw beets, depending on size, peeled and cut into 4 or 6 pieces (split down the middle and then 3 wedges from each half) - you want these pieces to be larger than the other medium dice vegetables

• 1 raw beet, peeled and grated

• 1 fennel root, medium dice

• 2 celery stalks, medium dice

• 1/3 cup tomato paste

• 1 cup dry red wine

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

• 1 1/2 tbs. granulated sugar

• Beef stock (around 3-5 cups depending on pot size)

• 1/2 tbs. dried parsley

• 1 tsp. dried dill

• 2 bay leaves

• Salt and black pepper

• 1 tbs. plucked dill, not chopped

Garnishes:

• Fresh grated horseradish root

• Fresh dill

Preheat oven to 275ºF.

Bring the short ribs to room temperature and pat dry after slicing into pieces (unless pre-cut). Season evenly with salt and black pepper.

Heat a large dutch oven over high heat. Once hot, add olive oil to lightly but evenly coat the bottom of the pot. Sear the short ribs, starting on the fat side, on all sides until golden brown. Remove from pan before the fond on the bottom burns and place on a rack. Turn heat down to medium, add the onion with a pinch of salt to draw out moisture in the remaining fat/fond from the short ribs and sweat them out to soften. Add the celery, fennel, and garlic. Cook all vegetables until lightly caramelized. Add all of the beets. Season heavily with salt and black pepper. Add in the tomato paste and herbs, and stir to coat all the vegetables in the tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes, deglaze with red wine vinegar and red wine. Nestle the short ribs back into the vegetables, and add beef stock to come up 2/3 of the way of the vegetables/meat. Bring to a simmer uncovered, cover, and place in the oven for 2.5-3 hours, until the meat is fork tender and starting to fall off the bone.

Remove meat from pot and set aside. Strain the liquid from the vegetables and place the liquid into a saucepan to reduce into a thickened sauce that coats the back of a spoon, skimming off the exceses fat as it reduces. Season with salt/pepper if needed. Add in the fresh dill. Reserve all vegetables, although I prefer to only serve the beets with the finished meal.

Place the short ribs back in the sauce and add the beets back in. Add in the fresh dill.

Serve warm over Garlic-Dill Mashed Potatoes (recipe below) and garnish with a generous helping of freshly grated horseradish root and a few sprigs of fresh dill.

Garlic-Dill Mashed Potatoes:

• 3 large russet potatoes, peeled and large diced, stored in water until ready to cook

• 4 garlic cloves

• 1.5 tbs. finely chopped dill

• 1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cubed

• Salt, to taste

• 1/3 cup-1/2 cup heavy cream

About 30 minutes before the short ribs are finished cooking, start making the mashed potatoes:

Submerge the potatoes and whole garlic cloves in a pot of cold, well-salted water. Bring to a simmer and simmer until potatoes are completely fork tender but not falling apart. Do not let boil, or the potatoes will become watery. Strain the potatoes & discard water.

Warm the heavy cream in a small saucepan while completing the next step:

I prefer using a ricer or food mill for the creamiest potatoes, but a potato masher will also work. While still warm, rice/food mill/mash the potatoes/garlic back into the dry pot (do this step while warm to avoid lumps) Over low heat, stir the potatoes until steam has stopped rising to remove excess moisture. Also while warm, whip in 1/3 cup warmed cream rapidly with a whisk. Add the rest as needed to moisten up the potatoes, without making them runny. Quickly whip in cubed, cold butter until fluffy and thickened and buttery to your liking (this could be the entire stick, or less depending on your desired taste). The key to good mashed potatoes is a lot of butter and salt—more of both than you think. Season with salt to your liking, fold in the fresh dill, and keep warm until ready to serve.

*You could also add in a tablespoon of sour cream or labneh with the butter for a tangy bite — this pairs well with the dill, horseradish, and short ribs.