This is not just any regular short rib gnocchi. This is the dinner Mark Watney should have had. If you have seen The Martian, you know the man survived on microwaved potatoes for 500 days, alone on Mars, and the whole time I watched that movie I kept thinking about how much better those potatoes could be. So this recipe is my answer: pillowy potato gnocchi folded into a slow braised short rib ragù, the first meal I would cook him the second he got home. It is the first dish in my new series, Cooking the Movies, where I take a movie I love and put it on a plate. And growing up in an Italian-American home, when somebody comes back after a long time away, there is only one way we say welcome home. It is a pot of something that has been going all day.

If you enjoy this recipe, I know you will enjoy my Beef Short Rib Ragu recipe too!

Why You Will Love this Short Rib Gnocchi

Flavor: Short ribs braised low and slow in red wine and tomato sauce with garlic and rosemary until they collapse into the sauce. This ragù tastes like it took all day, because it did.

Pillowy gnocchi: Baked-potato gnocchi come out lighter than boiled-potato versions ever will. They drink up the ragù and practically dissolve when you take a bite.

Impressive: If you make this for a dinner, you will leave everyone impressed. A plate of handmade gnocchi in short rib ragù looks like it came out of a restaurant kitchen, and nobody needs to know how simple the steps really are.

Make ahead: The ragù is actually better on day two, so you can braise it a day early and just make the gnocchi fresh when it is time to eat.

One pot of sauce, endless uses: Leftover ragù works over pappardelle, in a baked pasta, or on crusty bread. You will not waste a spoonful.

Ingredients

For the ragù:

2 to 3 Lb Bone-in Beef Short Ribs
1 Onion, roughly chopped
2 Carrots, roughly chopped
4 Cloves Garlic, whole
2 TBSP Tomato Paste
1 Cup Dry Red Wine
1 (28 Oz) Can Tomato Sauce
2 Cups Beef Stock
1 Bay Leaf
1 Sprig Fresh Rosemary
Olive Oil
Salt to taste

For the gnocchi:

2 Lb Russet Potatoes
1 1/2 Cups 00 Flour
3 Egg Yolks
1 TSP Salt

For serving:

Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

How to Make Short Rib Gnocchi:

Start with the ragù, because it needs the whole afternoon. Season the short ribs generously with salt and sear them hard in olive oil in a heavy pot. You want to hear them hit the pan, and you want to leave them alone until each side is deeply browned, because that crust is where the flavor lives. Set aside when done.

In the same pot, in all those drippings, soften the onion and carrot. Drop in the whole garlic cloves and the tomato paste and cook until fragrant, a minute or two, letting the paste darken a shade. Pour in the red wine and scrape up every browned bit off the bottom of the pot. That is not burnt, that is the whole point.

Add the tomato sauce, beef stock, bay leaf, and the rosemary sprig, then nestle the short ribs back in. Cover and braise low for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, until the meat falls off the bone when you look at it wrong. Pull the bones and the rosemary stem, shred the meat right back into the sauce, and let it reduce uncovered until it is a thick, rich, rustic red ragù. Salt to taste, and actually taste it.

For the gnocchi, bake the potatoes instead of boiling them. A boiled potato drinks up water, and wet potatoes need more flour, and more flour means dense, heavy gnocchi. Bake them at 400°F until completely tender, then rice them while they are still hot. Fold in the flour, egg yolks, and salt just until a soft dough comes together. The moment it holds, stop. Overworking the dough is how pillows turn into rocks.

Roll the dough into ropes, cut into little pillows, and ridge each one on the back of a fork so the sauce has something to grab. Boil them in well-salted water until they float, about two minutes, then pull them straight into the ragù. Fold gently until every gnocchi is coated in that deep red sauce. Look at that color and tell me that is not Mars.

Plate them up and shower with grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Serve hot and enjoy!

Common Mistakes:

Boiling the potatoes: This is the one that ruins the gnocchi. Boiled potatoes carry water into the dough, which demands more flour, which makes them dense. Bake the potatoes and rice them hot.

Overworking the dough: Gnocchi dough is not bread dough. Mix it just until it comes together. Every extra minute of kneading builds gluten, and gluten is the enemy of pillowy.

Rushing the braise: Short ribs give you nothing at hour one and everything at hour three. If the meat is not falling apart, it is not done. Put the lid back on and walk away.

Skipping the sear: Pale short ribs make a flat ragù. That deep brown crust is the base flavor of the entire sauce, so sear hard and do not crowd the pot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make the ragù ahead of time?
Yes, and you should. The ragù is even better the next day once everything settles together. Braise it a day early, keep it in the fridge, and rewarm it gently while you make the gnocchi fresh.

Can I freeze the gnocchi?
Definitely. Freeze them uncooked in a single layer on a floured sheet pan, then bag them up. Boil straight from frozen, they just need an extra minute or so.

Do I have to use 00 flour?
All-purpose works fine. 00 flour gives you a slightly silkier, more delicate gnocchi, but the baked potato and the light touch matter far more than the flour.

What if I cannot find bone-in short ribs?
Boneless short ribs work, and a chuck roast cut into big chunks gets you close. You lose a little richness without the bones, so a splash more stock and patience make up the difference.

What do I serve with it?
This is the whole meal. Crusty bread for the leftover sauce, a simple salad, and whatever red wine went into the pot. If it was good enough to cook with, it is good enough to drink.