Rouladen

Ingredients

Beef

• 6thin slices of beef topside or silverside, about 150 g each, 5 mm thick

Filling

• 6 tbspGerman medium mustard
• 12 slicesstreaky bacon
• 3onions, sliced
• 6pickled gherkins, quartered lengthways
• salt and black pepper

To braise

• 2 tbspoil or lard
• 1onion, chopped
• 1carrot, chopped
• 1 stickcelery
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 200 mlred wine
• 800 mlbeef stock
• 2bay leaves
• a few peppercorns

To finish

• 2 tbspflour or a little cornflour
• 2 tbspsoured cream, optional

To serve

• Kartoffelklöße or boiled potatoes
• red cabbage, Rotkohl
• and the gravy, generously

Equipment

• cocktail sticks, kitchen string, or roulade clips

Directions

1. Pound them gently from the centre outwards rather than hammering, which tears holes in the meat. Even thickness matters, since a thin patch cooks to shreds while a thick one stays tough.
2. Lay a slice flat, season it, and spread mustard right to the edges. Lay bacon over it, then sliced onion, then a line of gherkin quarters across one end. Do not overfill them, however tempting, since an overstuffed roulade bursts open in the pan.
3. Fold the long sides inward over the filling first, then roll from the filled end. Tucking the sides in is what keeps the filling from escaping into the gravy, and it is the step people skip. Heat oil in a heavy pan and brown the rouladen hard on all sides.
4. Brown them properly and patiently, taking several minutes, until they are genuinely dark. This is where the colour and depth of the finished gravy comes from, and pale rouladen give pale, thin gravy. Lift them out and set them aside. Fry the chopped onion, carrot and celery in the same fat until browned. Add the tomato paste and cook it for three or four minutes until it darkens.
5. Let the wine reduce by half, then add the stock, bay and peppercorns. They should be about two-thirds submerged rather than covered. Cover and cook at a bare simmer, or in a 160°C oven, for at least an hour and a half.
6. Keep it at the barest simmer, since boiling makes lean beef seize up and go stringy. They need at least ninety minutes and two hours is better. Strain the braising liquid, pressing the vegetables to extract everything, then discard them.
7. Return the liquid to the pan and reduce it if it seems thin. Thicken it with a little flour mixed to a paste with butter, or with a cornflour slurry. Taste and season, and stir in soured cream off the heat if you want a richer gravy. Serve two rouladen per person with plenty of gravy poured over.

Technique

• Mustard, bacon, onion and gherkin are the fixed classic filling.
• Browning hard is what gives the gravy its colour and depth.
• They need at least ninety minutes and go tough before they go tender.

Substitutions

• Thinly sliced topside pounded flat, if pre-cut rouladen are unavailable.
• Dijon in place of German medium mustard, which is sharper.

Variations

• Made with pork or veal instead of beef.
• Kohlrouladen, made with cabbage leaves.
• With mushrooms added to the filling.

Frequently asked questions

What is Rouladen?

Rouladen is a main from Germany: beef rolls around bacon, onions, pickles, braised in gravy.

How long does Rouladen take to make?

Rouladen takes 40 min of preparation and 2 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Rouladen?

Yes, within limits. Thinly sliced topside pounded flat, if pre-cut rouladen are unavailable. Dijon in place of German medium mustard, which is sharper.

What is the most important thing to get right in Rouladen?

Pound them gently from the centre outwards rather than hammering, which tears holes in the meat. Even thickness matters, since a thin patch cooks to shreds while a thick one stays tough.