Sweet & Spicy Ribs, Cheesy Horseradish Potato Skins & Charred Broccoli

This is a perfect meal for the weekend because it is a bit labor intensive and has a lot of things going on at once and to prep for. So, it was really nice to have Q in the kitchen with me to assist in putting this tasty dinner together! It felt like we were eating out tonight but in the comfort of our own home. Each part of this meal brings a ton of flavors that on the surface may not sound good together to you... but they are! The ribs are sticky, hearty, sweet & spicy and the meat just falls off the bone. The broccoli salad has a nice Asian flair to it and the nutty notes to the sesame oil really bring everything together. The potatoes are comforting and zesty and hit all sorts of different notes on your tongue. The original recipe called for pork ribs but the beef looked so much better to me at the store so I adjusted the recipe for this. The original recipes can be found on here as well:  Sweet & Spicy Beef Ribs, Cheesy Horseradish Potato Skins and Charred Broccoli. Here's how we made it...

Sweet & Spicy Beef Back Ribs
serves 2

ingredients
• 2 lbs (2 small racks) of beef back ribs
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• S&P
• 1/4 cup low sodium beef broth
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 large cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 tbsp chipotle Chile powder (I have the flakes & ground them up in my molcajete)
• 1/2 cup sweet Chile sauce (Thai)
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar

directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Remove the membrane on the back side of the ribs with a paring knife. Rub the ribs with lemon juice, salt & pepper. Let rest on counter until oven comes up to temp. Place ribs bone side down and pour broth over ribs. Cover roasting pan tightly with foil and place in oven and cook for 1.5 hours. The meat should pull away from the bone very easily by this point.
2. Meanwhile, make the sauce: Melt butter in a saucepan over high medium/high heat and add the garlic. Cook for 2 minutes. Add Chile powder and cook 1 minute. Stir in the Chile sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes until the sauce is thick and has reduced by about half.
3. Remove the ribs from oven and increase temp to 400 degrees. Uncover the pan and baste the ribs generously with your sauce. Put back in oven and roast for an additional 35-40 minutes. Transfer ribs to serving plates and let rest for 5-10 minutes and then slice before eating. I used the leftover sauce to baste again as soon as the ribs came out of the oven and then again before we ate them. :-)


Cheesy Horseradish Potato Skins
serves 2

ingredients
• 1 russet potato
• 3 tbsp butter, melted
• Salt & Pepper
• 1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar
• 1/4 cup grated muenster cheese
• 1/8 cup grated Parmesan
• 3 tbsp horseradish
• 1/8 cup plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
• 1 scallion, finely sliced

directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Poke the potato with a fork several times. Place directly on rack in oven and bake about 1 hour until tender. Let cook slightly or until you can handle.
2. Increase the oven to 450 degrees. Half the potatoes and scoop out the flesh, leaving 1/4 inch thick shell. Reserve the flesh and scoop into a bowl. Brush both sides of potato with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Arrange on a baking sheet skin side up and bake until crisp, 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, mash up the potato flesh with a fork and mix the cheeses, 2 tbsp horseradish and remaining butter. Stuff the potatoes with the mixture and return to oven for 8 minutes.
4. Mix the yogurt and remaining horseradish in a small bowl, top the potatoes with this and scallions.

These are super tangy and have a big bite to them! I love me some horseradish - NOM NOM NOM!

Charred Broccoli
serves 2

ingredients
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tsp honey
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup baby bellas, thinly sliced
• 1/2 shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 head broccoli, chopped
• vegetable oil
• 1/2 red jalapeno, sliced

directions
1. Whisk the soy, rice vinegar, honey & sesame oil together in a bowl. Season with salt & pepper. Add the red jalapeno, shallot and mushrooms and toss to coat.
2. Heat a cast iron skillet/pan/griddle over medium-high heat. Toss the broccoli with some veg oil and add to skillet, char the broccoli on all sides. Season with Salt and pepper and add to the bowl with shallot and mushrooms. Season to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Enjoy!