Poutine is Canada’s national dish and Molly loves it—she thinks it’s the best drunk food there is! Traditionally, it has fries topped with cheese curds and gravy, but Molly’s Midwest flair involves swapping the fries for tater tots and adding short ribs to the gravy. Yum! Hangover be gone.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 5 hr |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef short ribs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 3 medium carrots, chopped
- 1 small white onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 tablespoon (14 grams) tomato paste
- One 12-ounce bottle malty Belgian beer (Unibroue La Fin du Monde is a Canadian-made Belgian Tripel beer that is great for this, or you could also use something more common like Blue Moon)
- 1 1/2 cups (360 grams) low-sodium beef or chicken stock, plus additional as needed
- 2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- One 2-pound bag frozen potato tots
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons (18 grams) all-purpose flour
- 8 ounces white cheese curds
- Fresh parsley, roughly chopped, for serving
- Fresh chives, chopped, for serving
- Malt vinegar, for serving
Instructions
- Arrange an oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- To make the short ribs: Season the short ribs liberally with kosher salt and black pepper. Heat the oil in a 3-quart enameled Dutch oven over high heat. Sear the short ribs on the first side, undisturbed, for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden and crusty. Flip and sear on the other side for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove onto a plate. Reduce the heat to medium and add the carrots, onion, garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook until the vegetables are translucent and tender, about 8 minutes. Mix in the tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds, scraping the bottom with a wood spoon so the tomato paste does not scorch. Add the beer, stock and thyme and bring to a boil. Add the ribs back into the pot, along with any juices that have collected on the plate, cover, and put in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the ribs pull apart with a fork. (Alternatively, you can put everything in a pressure cooker all at once and cook on high for 30 minutes).
- Remove the short ribs from the braising liquid and allow to cool. Using clean hands or two forks, shred the beef into bite-sized chunks. Set aside.
- Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Season the tots with salt and pepper. Bake the tots in the oven for 10 minutes longer than advised on the package instructions to get them extra-crispy. While the tots bake, make the gravy.
- To make the gravy: Strain the short rib braising liquid. Discard the solids and reserve the liquid. Add enough stock to the braising liquid to yield a total of 2 1/2 cups. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until the mixture turns a shade darker and smells toasty, 5 to 6 minutes. Carefully pour in the reserved braising liquid (it will bubble and spit). Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cook until it is thickened and coats the back of a spoon, 2 minutes. Add the shredded beef to the gravy and get everything all nice and hot for serving.
- Remove the tots from the oven and place in a big serving dish. Scatter the cheese curds all over. Pour over the piping hot gravy and garnish with herbs and a few splashes of malt vinegar. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 563 |
| Total Fat | 30 g |
| Saturated Fat | 13 g |
| Carbohydrates | 40 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 30 g |
| Cholesterol | 101 mg |
| Sodium | 1116 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 563 |
| Total Fat | 30 g |
| Saturated Fat | 13 g |
| Carbohydrates | 40 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 30 g |
| Cholesterol | 101 mg |
| Sodium | 1116 mg |
Reviews
I made this recipe this weekend and it was fantastic!!! They were the best short ribs I every made. I used chicken stock instead of beef stock as the recipe said but during the cooking time in the oven, I added 3 cups of vegetable broth every 45 minutes or so to keep the liquid from evaporating too much. The ribs were so moist and the flavor was so yummy! Thank you Molly!
This was delish! I could not find boneless short ribs on short notice so there was some fat to skim off the braising liquid, but not a big deal. Added some chopped dill, parsley and the carrot greens to the liquid for extra flavor, too. Will try it again with fries next time. The malt vinegar was the perfect topper!
Delicious!! Very easy too, just factor in cook time. The malt vinegar splash at the end is a must!
Made and loved! Was well worth the wait. Will make again.
The whole ingredient list is purely stupid but being skeptical, I tried it Your rendition is pretty gross, nothing like Real Canadian Poutine. Shame on you for even trying to name this slop poutine. This is plain old garbage! Just garbage.
Several years ago, my husband and I had poutine in Quebec. I made this last night and was reminded of our trip. The short ribs really added flavor to the gravy. I loved the ease of using tater tots for the base. In our rural California town, it’s difficult to find cheese curds so I substituted fresh mozzarella. I missed the squeak, but it did add cheesy goodness. Thanks for a great recipe.