Ingredients
- 8 slices top round beef (see notes)
- 8 slices bacon
- 4 lengthwise sliced German pickles (gherkins)
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) German mustard
- 1 chopped yellow onion
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
For the Gravy:
- 1 tablespoon canola, olive or vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 1 chopped yellow onion
- 1 chopped carrot
- 1 chopped small leek
- 1 cup (250ml) dry red wine
- 1 chopped celery stalk
- 1 tablespoon tomato concentrate
- 2 cups (500ml) strong beef broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 tablespoons cold butter
- Flour or cornstarch dissolved in a splash of cold water, for thickening
Method
- Lay out the beef and spread 2 teaspoons of mustard over each one and then add salt and pepper.
- Add bacon, pickles and chopped onions, then roll them up and secure with twine or toothpicks.
- Melt the butter with the oil in a skillet and brown the beef rouladen all over.
- Set the rouladen to one side.
- Add the onions to the skillet (leave the browned bits in there too - that makes the gravy richer!) and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for a minute, and then add the carrots, celery and leek, and cook for 5 minutes more.
- Add the wine, bring the mixture to a boil and cook for a minute.
- Turn the heat down and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Stir in the broth, tomato concentrate, sugar, bay leaf, salt, and pepper.
- Put the beef rouladen back in the skillet and cook uncovered on the stovetop until fork tender (about 1 1/2 hours) or else in the oven at 325 degrees F (160 degrees C).
- Once the beef is tender, remove it from the pot and set to one side, and then pour the contents of the skillet through a colander to remove the solids.
- Put the liquid back into the skillet (see notes about the veggies).
- Thicken the mixture with your flour or cornstarch slurry, simmering gently until thickened to your liking.
- Whisk in the cold butter until it melts into the gravy.
- Add mustard, salt and black pepper to taste.
- Remove and discard the twine or toothpicks from the beef rouladen and warm them back up in the gravy, then serve hot with your preferred side dishes.
Notes
- The beef should be about 6 x 4 inches (15 x 10 cm) in size and about 1/4 inch (3/4 cm) thick. If they're thicker you can pound them yourself or have the butcher do it.
- If you want to cook the beef rouladen in the oven, not on the stovetop, either use an oven-proof skillet for both, or else transfer the rouladen into an oven-proof dish first.
- Either serve the strained vegetables on the side or puree them into a soup, so as not to waste them.
- You can add a splash of cream to the gravy if you want it a bit creamy.