“Oh, wipe your tears away. Sunday, bloody Sunday.” -U2 on Sunday dinners
I didn’t always dread Sunday nights. As a child my family kept a comforting routine: takeout from California Pizza Kitchen piled into the car, then home to watch Touched by an Angel. Somewhere along the way Sunday evenings became heavy with the anxiety of a new week—first from schoolwork in high school and college, later from the looming workweek and occasional regret about how Friday and Saturday went. Friends who are unemployed or self-employed get the same feeling, so apparently it’s a common curse—or maybe it’s the vodka.
One spring, two friends with an excellent kitchen—Ian Mclean and William Broadbent—invited me to cook a Sunday feast in their TriBeCa apartment. I decided to cook classic comfort food: braised beef short ribs with caramelized pearl onions, mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, and Brussels sprouts with bacon. People often assume short ribs require long marinades or endless braising, but this version is forgiving and achievable in about three hours. You can spend that time on the couch with a glass of wine and a playlist or doing whatever helps you survive Sunday afternoon.
The dinner was a success: candlelight, good food, and a living room full of people ready to hug at a moment’s notice kept the Sunday blues at bay. Special thanks to Annabel for bringing an incredible brownie-like dessert and to Ian and Will for hosting and arranging beautiful flowers.
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| Always accept someone’s offer to bring dessert. DUH. |
Nice stems. #boyswithflowers
Top five tips for beating THE FEAR
- Never be alone—there’s safety (and more hugs) in numbers.
- Serve homemade comfort food. The heart wants quantity and warmth.
- Use soft lighting—candlelight works wonders for mood.
- Ask people about their weekends. It distracts, encourages bonding, and usually makes you feel better by comparison.
- Put on guilty-pleasure TV—MTV Hits over 60 Minutes every time.
EASY Braised Beef Short Ribs with Caramelized Onions (Serves 8)
Ingredients
- 8 boneless beef short ribs (approx. 2.5–3 lbs)
- Salt and pepper
- 2–3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2 large carrots
- 1 celery stalk
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 2 bottles red wine (Pinot Noir or similar)
- 1½ cups low-sodium beef stock (or chicken stock)
- 1 tsp sugar (optional)
For glazed pearl onions
- 2 cups pearl onions
- Water (to cover)
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp sugar
- Salt, to taste
Preparing the short ribs
- Season the short ribs generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a heavy pan until very hot. Brown the short ribs in batches, turning so each side is well caramelized. Use fresh oil for each batch if needed.
- Chop the onion, carrots and celery into a medium dice (mirepoix). In a large pot, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-low heat and add the vegetables to sweat for about five minutes. Add the smashed garlic and sweat another five minutes.
- Add the wine and stock, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Skim any foam or fat from the surface.
- Add the browned short ribs to the simmering liquid, cover, and simmer gently for at least three hours—longer if you can. Periodically skim impurities from the surface. The meat should be fork-tender and falling apart.
Finishing the sauce and assembly
Carefully remove the cooked short ribs from the pot and transfer them to a baking dish. Cover with foil. Strain about three cups of the cooking liquid into a saucepan and reduce until it coats the back of a spoon. Taste and add a teaspoon of sugar if you want a touch of sweetness, and adjust salt as needed.
Pour the reduced sauce over the short ribs and add the glazed pearl onions (recipe below). Warm everything in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot and enjoy the compliments.
Preparing the glazed pearl onions
- Peel the pearl onions. Tip: soak them in warm water for 10 minutes, then push from the root end and the skins slip off.
- Place the peeled onions in a small pot with butter and a pinch of salt. Add enough water to just cover the onions and simmer until tender and most water has evaporated. Add more water if needed to finish cooking.
- Add the sugar and swirl the pan so each onion is coated, allowing them to caramelize until golden. Watch them closely so they don’t burn.
Signature mashed potatoes
For my go-to mashed potatoes, see my roast chicken post for the full method. Rich, creamy mashed potatoes are the ideal bed for these short ribs.
Roasted carrots
Ingredients: carrots, 3 tbsp olive oil, 2 smashed garlic cloves (unpeeled), 3 sprigs thyme, salt and pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Peel carrots, trim ends, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper in a roasting pan. Add smashed garlic and thyme to the pan.
- Roast 35–45 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, until very tender and slightly charred if you like them soft.
Roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon
Ingredients: Brussels sprouts, 2 tbsp olive oil, 4 slices bacon, 1 tbsp sugar (optional), salt and pepper.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Halve the sprouts, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and spread in a single layer on a baking pan.
- Roast about 20 minutes, turning once, until tender and browned.
- Cook bacon until crisp, drain and crumble. Before serving, place the roasted sprouts in a skillet over medium heat, sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar for caramelization if desired, add crumbled bacon and sauté 1–2 minutes until hot.
These are irresistible—thanks to the bacon, even Brussels-skeptics often ask for seconds.
Final notes
This menu is ideal for a cozy Sunday dinner that chases away the Sunday night blues. The short ribs are forgiving and full of flavor, the carrots and Brussels sprouts provide balance, and generous mashed potatoes complete the comfort-food experience. Invite friends, dim the lights, light some candles, and focus on great company and warm plates.