Short Rib and Pepper Stuffed Potatoes

Short Rib and Pepper Stuffed Potatoes

I look forward to my foodie magazines each month, so that I can rush into the kitchen and make all the latest and greatest dishes.  Food Network magazine does a really cool insert each issue with 50 recipes of some kind of dish.  They've done 50 ways to make kebabs, 50 ways to make hamburgers, 50 ways to make hot dogs, and 50 ways to do summer drinks.  This issue was really creative in giving 50 ways to stuff a baked potato, one of my FAVORITE foods!

I remember when I was pregnant in the early months, there wasn't much I could eat.  Anything that had traces of onion, garlic, spice and/or flavor was completely out the window.  But oh, I could eat potatoes!  Perhaps it was the Irish lass in me, but potatoes seemed to be a part of EVERY meal while I was fighting the morning (or in my case ALL DAY) sickness.

I was going to share a couple of the recipes from the insert with you, but it appears that Baby Bodhi had other plans for the booklet and it has since disappeared.  So, I created one on my own.  It's sort of a Philly Cheese Steak tribute, but I used some left over short ribs I had from a dinner I made a few weeks ago for the meat (don't worry, they've been in the freezer the whole time).

These aren't the prettiest stuffed potatoes I've ever made, I like to think of them as "rustic," but they tasted DELICIOUS!

Short Rib and Pepper Stuffed Potatoes

Prep Time: / 30 minutes / Cook Time: 4 hours / Servings: 4

Short Rib and Pepper Stuffed Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 4 beef short ribs
• 4 russet potatoes
• 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 4 scallions, chopped (reserve some of the green tips for garnish)
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced and seeds removed
• 6 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Steps:

1. In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil.  Add the short ribs, season with salt and pepper and sear on each side of the ribs for 2-3 minutes on high heat, until nicely browned.  Remove from heat and place them in a crock pot.
2. Add the cream of mushroom soup and 1/2 cup chicken broth to the crock pot.  Re-season with salt and pepper to taste, stir until mixture is smooth, cover and cook on high heat for 4 hours in the crock pot.  Stir occasionally.  When the meat begins to fall off the bone, remove the bones and shred the meat finely with a fork.
3. Rub the potatoes lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Wrap them tightly in tin foil and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about one hour, until the potatoes are soft. 
4. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the pepper slices and chopped scallions and cook on high heat for 4-5 minutes, until the veggies begin to soften.
5. Remove the potatoes from the tin foil.  Slice down the middle, open and remove several spoonfuls of the potato flesh from the inside, hollowing out the baked potatoes.  Add the removed flesh to the bell peppers and scallions.
6. Add the short rib and mushroom soup mixture to the peppers and potato flesh.  Cook on high heat for another 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce is almost completely reduced and the veggies are very soft.
7. Carefully spoon the meat and veggie stuffing back into the potatoes.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and place under the broiler for about 30 seconds to melt the cheese.  Remove from heat, garnish with left over scallions and serve immediately.

Short Rib and Pepper Stuffed Potatoes