Braised Beef Short Ribs on Rosti Potatoes

You know you have a winner when the Butcher at WoleFoods asks you how you are cooking your short ribs, and when you describe it to him, he says "Wait!" and pulls out another sheet of brown paper "Do you mind if I write this down?!"
4-6 beef chuck ribs, or short ribs (about 2 lb)
1 medium onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, coarsely sliced
2 Tbsp fresh rosemary (or 1 Tbsp dried)
8-10 fresh sage leaves (if available)
2 cups diced fresh tomatoes, about 2 ripe tomatoes
2 tsp sumac
2 Tbsp molasses
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sherry
1 cup chicken broth

Heat a bit of oil in a medium Dutch Oven or heavy pot.  Brown the ribs over medium-high heat, turning often to brown each side. Brown for about 10 minutes total.  Set ribs aside on a plate.

In same pot, sauté the onions and peppers for 8-10 minutes over medium heat.  Stir often to color the onions and caramelize the veggies.  Add the garlic, sage and rosemary and continue cooking another 3-5 minutes.  Set veggies aside on top of the meat.

Turn heat to high and add a dash olive oil if necessary.  Toss in the tomatoes and sizzle for 5-8 minutes.  Stir only after one side has begun to brown and caramelize a bit.  Add the sumac and cook another 1-2 minutes.  Add the soy sauce, molasses, wine vinegar, sherry and broth. Stir well and bring to a boil.

Return the meat and veggies to the pot, along with any residual juices.  Shake everything together and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to a slow simmer, cover and cook 1-1/2 hour.  Gently stir, turning meat every 15-20 minutes.

Rosti Potatoes

4 large Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and coarsely grated
3 green onions, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
3-4 cups baby arugula

While the meat is cooking, squeeze liquid out of potatoes by hand, or better yet, wrap in a clean kitchen towel and wring water gently out of potatoes.  Toss potatoes with onion and salt and pepper to taste.  Heat 2 large or 4 small non-stick skillets and add a bit of canola oil to each.  Distribute potatoes evenly among pans and allow potatoes to brown for about 8-10 minutes over medium heat. Watch potatoes carefully, to brown but not burn them.  Using a plate, invert the potatoes and slide the uncooked side back into the pan.  Brown the other side for about another 5-8 minutes, watching carefully.

Assemble dish on 4 plates by placing 1/4 of the Rossi potatoes in the center of each plate.  Top each rosti with 1/4 of the arugula and a beef rib, just a bit of sauce, and some of the veggies.  Do not add too much sauce so as to swamp the potatoes - less is more; keep the rosti crispy.  Serve sauce on the side if you like.

Serves 4.