Spiced Beef Short Ribs with roast carrots & mashed potato

Cook delicious winter meals using a slow cooker.

SERVES: 4

1 tablespoon bittersweet smoked Spanish paprika
1?2 tablespoon hot smoked Spanish paprika (or use all bittersweet paprika)
1?2 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted, crushed
1?2 tablespoon soft brown sugar
1?2 teaspoon salt
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled, chopped
1 leek, white part only, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1.2kg-1.4kg beef short ribs
2 cups vegetable stock, hot
25g butter, softened
1 tablespoon flour

Combine the paprikas, cumin, sugar and salt in a small bowl then set aside. Preheat the slow cooker for 20 minutes.

Put the onion, carrot, leek and whole garlic cloves in the slow cooker.

Using your hands, rub the paprika mix all over the beef short ribs then put them on top of the vegetables. Pour in the hot stock then cover and cook on Low for 7-8 hours.

Remove the short ribs from the slow cooker and keep warm.

Strain the cooking juices, pushing down on the vegetables, into a wide saucepan or frying pan and bring to the boil. Mix the butter and flour to a paste then whisk this paste into the cooking juices, to make a thin sauce.

When ready to serve, cut the short ribs between each bone. Serve with the sauce, roast carrots and mashed potato (recipes follow).

Cooking in regular oven:

Put the vegetables in a roasting dish then top with the spice-rubbed ribs and pour the hot stock over. Cover with foil then cook at 150°C for 6 hours or until the meat is falling off the bones.

 Orange & oregano roast carrots

500g carrots, peeled, cut into lengths
4 sprigs oregano or sweet marjoram
25g butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1?4 cup white wine
juice of 1 orange

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a shallow roasting dish with baking paper, leaving enough of an overhang so that you’ll be able to make a parcel.

Put the carrots in the dish in a single layer. Scatter with the oregano and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper then dot with the butter and drizzle with the oil. Fold the baking paper sides together, to enclose the carrots in a parcel. Make a small opening on one side of the parcel and pour in the wine and juice.

Roast the carrots for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cut away the top of the paper then toss the carrots to coat in the liquid. Roast for a further 5-10 minutes until just tender.

Mashed potato

1kg Agria potatoes, peeled,
cut into even-sized pieces
1 teaspoon salt
250ml milk, hot
1 tablespoon butter

Put the potatoes and salt in a large saucepan. Cover with cold water then bring to the boil. Continue to boil gently for 20 minutes or until tender.

Drain the potatoes then return to the saucepan over low heat. Shake the pan until the potatoes appear dry.

Mash the potatoes then use a wooden spoon to beat in the hot milk, a little at a time. Stir in the butter. Taste and season with more salt if necessary.