Short Rib Fries ~ thick cut wedges of russet potato baked until browned and crispy, then topped off with fork tender braised short ribs in a rich wine gravy ~ don’t bother trying to resist.
Dinner, or maybe Game Day, just got a whole lot more interesting! The concept of loaded French fries has to be one of the most enticing ever….depending on where you live you might have had chili fries, poutine, carne asada fries, chips and gravy, cheese fries, or animal fries. My Short Rib Fries are topped with my favorite cut of beef that’s been slowly braised until it’s so tender it falls off the bone. Don’t even get me started on that gravy.
But I’m not gonna lie, these take a bit of time. 2 days, to be exact. That is, if you want the best flavor from those ribs. I braise them the first day, then refrigerate them and their gravy overnight. The next day I remove the thick lid of hardened fat off the top of the gravy, leaving me with pure unadulterated meaty gravy bliss.
TIP: Short ribs vary quite a bit, so look for meaty ribs without too much fat, even if that means making a nuisance of yourself to the meat manager. Mine gave me the evil eye as I pawed through the packages, but it paid off, I brought home 4 beauties.
After a long, low and slow cooking process, short ribs become fork tender. I shred the meat, and then reheat it in the gravy. Try ~ just try ~ not to polish it all off at this point.
Luckily, there’s no need to fry the ‘fries’, the oven does a perfect job in getting them crusty on the outside and soft and fluffy inside. I cut russet potatoes into thick wedges, then coat them in olive oil, and roast them until crispy. It only takes about 30 minutes, but you do need to flip and rearrange them a few times.
All that’s left is to assemble and dig in.
TIP: Do not add the meat and gravy to the fries until you are ready to serve. The crisp fries will soften as the juices penetrate them, but that’s part of the deliciousness of this type of dish.
Short Rib Fries
Ingredients
- 4 large meaty short ribs
- salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, halved and sliced, or chopped
- 6 mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 cup beef stock, plus more if necessary
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 3 large russet potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled
garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300F
- Coat the bottom of a large heavy pot with olive oil and heat over medium high heat until hot.
- Season the ribs with salt and pepper and sear for 2-3 minutes on all sides until they're nice and browned. Remove them to a plate.
- Add a bit more oil to the pan, if necessary, and add the onions, mushrooms, garlic, and bay leaves. Saute for about 10 minutes, until onions have softened. Stir often.
- Add the wine to the pot and let it boil for about 2 minutes. Loosen up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the stock and tomato paste and blend well. Put the ribs back into the pot and add more stock, or water, if necessary, so the liquid comes about 3/4 of the way up the ribs, but does not cover them. Bring the whole pot up to a simmer, then cover and put in the oven for 3 hours.
- Remove the ribs from the pot and remove the bay leaves. Puree the gravy, in batches, and put in a storage container. (You may strain the gravy after pureeing if you like) When cooled, refrigerate the gravy and the ribs, separately, overnight.
- THE NEXT DAY remove the layer of hardened fat from the gravy and shred the meat. Add the meat to the gravy and reheat on the stove top. Taste and add salt and pepper.
- Preheat oven to 400F. Slice each potato in half lengthwise, and then into 8-12 fat wedges. Toss them in olive oil so all surfaces are lightly coated. Spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, or until browned and crisp. Be sure your oven is at temperature before you begin cooking. Flip and rearrange the fries every 5 minutes for the first 10 minutes, and after that, every 10 minutes. Salt and pepper them lightly if you like.
- Lay out the fries on a clean pan or platter and top with the hot ribs and gravy. Sprinkle with sliced green onions.
notes:
- Russet potatoes make nice large wedges, but there’s no reason you can’t use yukon gold or red skinned potatoes.
- The potatoes have a tendency to stick to the pan before they develop their crust. Be sure to flip and rearrange them every 5 minutes at first, a metal spatula works best.
- The ribs and gravy would be great over mashed potatoes, polenta, or noodles, too.
Hey… when I was a child, the butcher gave these away with your meat order.I used to get them for 29c a lb. Not any more.. They are the absolute best. Will take them over a steak. Meaty, unctuous deliciousness.
agreed ๐
This is such a good idea! GREG
Gimme all the fries! These look perfect for game day!
This is not only delicious but practical as well as it can/has to be cooked the day before; Sue one more thoughtful great recipe! Love it!
Oh my, I haven’t made short ribs for ages but it’s time. A perfect Super Bowl recipe. I recently did a chicken and fries and gravy and it was awesome. Gotta have this, Sue. Beautiful photos! Shared!
I love short ribs served over mashed potatoes so I know I would love this! This is what I call husband food because my husband would adore it ๐ Thanks for the tender, delicious and juicy inspiration!