Beef Rouladen with Bacon and Pickles

Ingredients

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• 4 beef rouladen slices each about 180 g (6 oz), from the top round
• 2 tbsp medium-hot mustard
• 4 slice bacon or thinly sliced pork belly
• 2 pickles
• 2 onions
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp clarified butter
• 1 carrot
• 50 g (1.8 oz) celery root
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 250 ml (1 cup) dry red wine or more broth; alcohol only partly cooks off; for an alcohol-free version use broth with a squeeze of lemon juice
• 400 ml (1 3/4 cup) beef broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp cornstarch for thickening (optional)

Method

1. Spread out the rouladen, season both sides with salt and pepper and spread the inner side with mustard. Cut one onion into rings and halve the pickles lengthwise.
2. Place a slice of bacon, some onion rings and half a pickle on each roulade, fold in the sides slightly and roll up. Secure with kitchen twine or roulade pins.
3. Heat the clarified butter in a Dutch oven over high heat and brown the rouladen on all sides for 8 minutes until deeply browned. Remove them.
4. Dice the second onion, the carrot and the celery root and cook them in the drippings for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and toast for 2 minutes, then deglaze with the wine and reduce by half.
5. Add the broth and bay leaf and return the rouladen to the pot. Braise, covered, over low heat for 90 to 120 minutes, turning them halfway through. They are done when a fork slides in without resistance.
6. Remove the rouladen and keep them warm, taking off the twine. Pour the braising liquid through a sieve, bring it to a boil and, if needed, thicken it with starch stirred into cold water. Season with salt and pepper.

Tip: Ask the butcher for rouladen cut from the top round and sliced thin. Slices that are cut too thick turn dry on the outside before they are tender inside.

Tip: The cooking time depends on the thickness. It is better to braise 15 minutes longer than to take them out too early: rouladen are usually tough because they were cooked too briefly.