Gluten Free Easy Fall Do-Ahead Dinner for Eight Part 2 Braised Short Ribs with Smashed Potatoes Recipe

We are in the midst of a cold front here in my neck of the woods. Or more accurately, my little coastal Florida town is gripped by the icy fingers of a cruel Arctic wind.

To really understand the magnitude of these low temperatures, (and no, it is not like my sister in Seattle suggested about 70 degrees – it was in the 30s!!!!) this is normally prime beach-going time.

During the summer, it is just way too hot here to go to the beach in my opinion. The Gulf of Mexico is so hot I am surprised the shrimp don’t come out fully cooked. But October? Perfect beach weather. Warm sunny days, light Gulf Coast breezes (unless we are having a hurricane, but that’s another story) and the baby powder soft sands are hard to resist.

But right now, it is freezing! I had to put on shoes for the first time in months and my poor feet rebelled. You can’t just jump from 9 months of flip flops to real shoes without some easing in time. You know, the temp starts to slowly drop so you begin with some party shoes at night, but only when the fancy flip flops just won’t do. Then you slowly start to add in more and more shoe time; sneakers to the movie theater, a cute pair of flats to lunch with the girls, fancy heels for a night on the town. Only after a month or so do you break out the boots and full on shoes! By then, the feet that have flattened from absolutely no support whatsoever have a chance to start reforming to the constraints of conventional footwear. All I can say is Thank God for Uggs! The winter version of flip flops!

This cold weather makes for a perfect time to post Part Two of my easy Fall Do-Ahead Dinner for Eight.

These braised short ribs with mashed potatoes are wonderful and you do all the work the day before. Refrigerate overnight, peel off the accumulated fat, a quick re-heat and you are ready to eat. I even make the smashed potatoes ahead. Then when I put the ribs on the stove to reheat, I add some more butter and cream, pop them into a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes and voilà!

You can also re-heat over barely simmering water.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe

Gluten Free Easy Fall Do-Ahead Dinner for Eight Part 2 Braised Short Ribs with Smashed Potatoes Recipe

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time3 hrs 40 mins

Total Time3 hrs 55 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 627kcal

Author: Gluten Free & More

Ingredients

Braised Short Ribs

• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• ▢ 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• ▢ 5 pounds lean short ribs of beef - cut into 3 to 4 inch pieces
• ▢ 1 large white onion - diced
• ▢ ½ cup tequila
• ▢ 2 cups mango nectar
• ▢ ¾ cups gluten-free beef broth - use divided
• ▢ 1 - 2 chipotle peppers in adobo with some sauce - smashed with a fork or blended until smooth
• ▢ 4 green onions - sliced for garnish

Smashed Potatoes

• ▢ 4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes cut into 3 inch pieces
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ▢ ½ stick butter
• ▢ 1 cup half-and-half - or more depending on taste and humidity
• ▢ 3 tablespoons heavy cream - optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Braised Short Ribs

• ▢
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• ▢
  Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• ▢
  Mix together salt, pepper and garlic powder and season short ribs. Brown ribs in batches on all sides until well browned. About 10 minutes per batch. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Place ribs in a large Dutch oven or heavy stock pot.
• ▢
  Pour off most of the fat from the skillet leaving about 2 teaspoons. Sauté the diced onions until translucent but not browned. Add the tequila and cook down for about 2 minutes. Add nectar and ½ cup gluten free beef broth. Cook for about 1 minute just to meld flavors. Pour over ribs and stir well.
• ▢
  Cover and bake in oven for about 3 hours or until the meat is very tender and almost falling off the bones. Remove from heat and let cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• ▢
  About ½ hour before serving, remove from fridge and remove and discard the fat that has settled at the top. Add ¼ cup beef broth and smashed chipotle pepper(s) and re-heat on top of the stove over medium heat for about 20 minutes or until heated through. Taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper if needed.
• ▢
  Put a large spoonful or two of smashed potatoes in a shallow soup bowl, top with 2 or 3 ribs, spoon over some sauce and garnish with chopped green onions.
• ▢
  Ribs can be made as much as three days ahead.

Smashed Potatoes

• ▢
  In a large pot of heavily salted water over high heat, boil potatoes until tender (about 15 – 20 minutes).
• ▢
  Pour off water and return pan with potatoes in it to the high heat and cook for about 2 minutes until the moisture has evaporated. Add salt and pepper and smash potatoes with a potato masher. Add butter, half-and-half and cream if using. Mash some more until the potatoes are chunky not smooth. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
• ▢
  Can be made ahead about 3 hours. Keep at room temp and then re-heat over simmering water or in a 350 degree oven. If re-heating in the oven, add 1-2 more tablespoons of butter and about 1/4 cup more of half-and-half. Stir well before serving.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Gluten Free Easy Fall Do-Ahead Dinner for Eight Part 2 Braised Short Ribs with Smashed Potatoes Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 627 Calories from Fat 243

% Daily Value*

Fat 27g42%

Saturated Fat 12g60%

Cholesterol 141mg47%

Sodium 261mg11%

Potassium 1787mg51%

Carbohydrates 40g13%

Fiber 6g24%

Sugar 8g9%

Protein 47g94%

Vitamin A 685IU14%

Vitamin C 37.8mg46%

Calcium 140mg14%

Iron 12.3mg68%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owner’s. This blog accepts free manufacturers’ samples and forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. Affiliate links may be included in this post.

Have you tried this recipe? Give it a star rating and let us know your thoughts in the Ratings & Reviews section below.