Chef’s Corner: Bison Short Ribs with Sweet Potato Gnocchi

We received a request for this recipe the other day from one of our guests who wanted to make this for her sweetheart on Valentine’s Day.  We may be a bit late in getting this out there for all of you to try on Valentine’s Day, but why not celebrate a wonderful dinner another night?  Here’s to lots of love, laughter, and good food.  And, maybe a little romance.

Red Wine Marinade

• 2 carrots
• 1 leek
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 small celery root
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 bottle (750mL) red wine

1. Clean and roughly chop the vegetables.
2. Cover with red wine and simmer for 4 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and cool together, then strain and discard vegetables and reserve liquid.

Marinated Short Ribs

• Red wine marinade (recipe above)
• 2 pounds boneless short rib
• 1 head garlic, halved
• 1 yellow onion, quartered
• 2 carrots, peeled
• 8 quarts beef stock, hot
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 2 tablespoons salt

1. Pour cold red wine marinade over the short ribs and let sit for 2 days, rotating meat twice a day.
2. After the second day, remove the beef from the marinade and place in a roasting pan with the garlic, onion, and carrots.  Cover with hot beef bouillon; add rosemary and salt.  Place a sheet of parchment paper over beef and weigh down slightly with a 10” plate.  Place in a 250° F oven for eight hours.
3. Once beef is fork tender and almost breaking apart, remove from bouillon onto a draining rack.  Save bouillon for a great soup or your next beef braising dinner.

Sweet potato Gnocchi

• 1 ½ pounds roasted and pureed sweet potato
• 6 ounces “00” Flour
• 1 egg

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil on the stove. Peel and cut the sweet potatoes in half, season well, and roast until tender.
2. Dry the sweet potatoes thoroughly and run through a food mill or potato ricer.
3. Sift the flour and incorporate with the egg into the sweet potato and taste for seasoning.
4. When the water has come to a boil, roll the dough out into a long cylinder about a half inch in diameter and with a knife cut one inch long pieces and plunge into boiling water until the gnocchi begin to float.
5. Skim the floating gnocchi off the water and into an ice bath to stop the cooking.
6. Drain all the gnocchi onto a towel to dry.
7. Heat a sauté pan on the stove, sauté the gnocchi in olive oil until crisp on all sides.
8. Serve.