Red Wine Braised Short Rib Pot Pie (with homemade puff pastry)
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This was so delicious, I’m still thinking about it!
I have to start by saying I'm incredibly proud of this one. A couple of months ago, we celebrated my husband's 40th birthday at a new restaurant we'd been wanting to try. Our server was fantastic, and her description of one dish in particular had me completely sold—braised short rib pot pie with homemade puff pastry. It's not something I'd typically order, but the way she described it was absolutely mouthwatering.
Fast forward to a recent weekend when I couldn't stop craving it, and I decided to recreate it at home. I'd never made puff pastry before, but the recipe from An Italian in My Kitchen made it surprisingly approachable.
While I wouldn't call myself a short rib expert, I've made them several times using the red wine braised short ribs recipe from Half Baked Harvest's Everyday Cookbook. Those short ribs fall right off the bone every time and are incredibly forgiving to work with. I did adjust a few seasonings since we have young kids at the table, but otherwise followed her recipe to braise the short ribs.
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
Recipe adapted from: Half Baked Harvest
Ingredients:
5 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
Salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups largely chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups red wine
4 cups broth
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup fresh parsley
4 tablespoons salted butter
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Arrange the short ribs in the bottom of a large, oven-safe Dutch oven. Season with salt and pepper, then rub with flour to coat.
Snuggle the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery around the ribs. Mix the tomato paste into the red wine. Pour the wine mixture over the roast. Add the broth and bay leaves. Cover and roast for 3 1/2 to 5 hours or until very tender.
10-Minute Puff Pastry
Recipe from: An Italian in My Kitchen
Ingredients:
1¼ cups very cold salted butter, cut into cubes
½ cup very cold water
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions:
Using a food processor fitted with the metal blade, add flour and salt to the bowl, then add ¾ cup (170 grams) cold butter cut in cubes and pulse until butter is absorbed (about 10 to 12 one-second pulses).
Add the remaining cold butter (cubed) and pulse two or three times (no more) to combine.
Add the cold water and pulse four or five times just until the dough comes together to form a ball (really important not to over-process).
On a lightly floured surface, place dough and knead lightly approximately 10 times. With a lightly floured rolling pin (lightly flour the dough so it doesn't stick), roll into a rectangle approximately 12 x 18 inches (30 x 45 cm).
Fold the dough like an envelope, then fold in half, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Assembling the Pot Pie
Instructions:
Transfer the braised short ribs and all the sauce from your Dutch oven into a 9x13-inch baking dish (or similar oven-safe dish).
Roll out your chilled puff pastry to fit over the top of your baking dish.
Drape the puff pastry over the short ribs, trimming any excess and pressing gently around the edges.
Brush the top with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water).
Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden brown and flaky.
Sweet and Yellow Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
2 lbs yellow potatoes (Yukon Gold work great), peeled and cubed
1 medium sweet potato, whole
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk or cream (more as needed)
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Place the whole sweet potato on a baking sheet and roast for 45-60 minutes until tender.
Meanwhile, place yellow potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook until fork-tender, about 15-20 minutes.
When the sweet potato is done, let it cool slightly, then peel off the skin.
Drain the yellow potatoes and return them to the pot.
Add the peeled sweet potato, butter, and milk.
Mash until smooth and creamy, adding more milk if needed to reach your desired consistency.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Here's where I made a rookie mistake: I started baking at 350°F before realizing I needed 400°F. The puff pastry still turned out great, but it would've been even better if I'd started at the right temperature from the beginning. Live and learn!
For plating, I channeled my inner Gordon Ramsay and spread the mashed potatoes across the bottom of shallow bowls, spooned the short rib filling on top, and finished with a piece of golden puff pastry as the crown.
This is definitely a weekend project meal. We had a particularly cold Sunday, and this warm, comforting dish was exactly what we needed. The short ribs took most of the afternoon, but once they were done, assembling the pot pie was surprisingly quick. I wouldn't recommend this as a recipe for little helpers, but it honestly wasn't as complicated as I'd anticipated. Great first attempt, and I'll absolutely be making this again!