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Pot-au-feu
Boiled beef and vegetables
Pot-au-feu: French beef simmered for hours with leeks, carrots and turnips, served with its broth
Pot-au-feu, "pot on the fire", is the most French of family meals, cooked on winter Sundays in homes from Normandy to the Auvergne and served in two courses: first the clear broth with toasted bread, then the meat and vegetables with coarse salt, mustard and gherkins. Several cuts are used together, something lean, something gelatinous and a marrow bone, simmered very slowly for hours. The common mistake is boiling it hard, which clouds the broth and toughens the meat. Chef's tip: skim carefully in the first 30 minutes and keep the water at a bare shiver; the broth will be clear and golden.
- Total time
- 270 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the meat
- 1 ¾ lb beef chuck or shoulderin one piece
- 1 ¾ lb beef shin or short ribon the bone
- 4 marrow bones (optional)about 5 cm each
- 16 ¾ cups cold water
- 1 onionhalved and charred cut side down in a dry pan
- 3 cloves
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp coarse salt
For the vegetables
- 6 carrotspeeled, halved
- 3 leekstied in a bundle
- 4 small turnipspeeled
- 2 celery stickscut in 3
- 1 ⅓ lb waxy potatoespeeled
To serve
- 4 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 12 cornichons
- 1 tbsp coarse sea salt
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put the 1 ¾ lb beef chuck or shoulder and 1 ¾ lb beef shin or short rib in a large stockpot, cover with the cold 16 ¾ cups cold water and bring slowly to a simmer. Skim off the grey foam for the first 20–30 minutes until the surface stays clear.
10 minStep 2: Add the 1 onion stuck with the 3 cloves, the 1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay and parsley stalks), 1 tsp black peppercorns and 1 tbsp coarse salt. Keep at a bare simmer, partly covered, for 3 hours.
180 minStep 3: Add the 6 carrots, 3 leeks, 4 small turnips and 2 celery sticks and simmer for 45 minutes more. Add the 4 marrow bones bones for the last 20 minutes. The beef is done when it pulls apart with a fork.
60 minStep 4: Meanwhile boil the 1 ⅓ lb waxy potatoes separately in salted water for 20 minutes until tender, so their starch does not cloud the broth.
25 minStep 5: Strain off some broth into a pan, check the seasoning and serve it first in bowls with toasted bread and the marrow spread on top.
5 minStep 6: Slice the beef and arrange it on a warm platter with the vegetables and potatoes. Moisten with broth and serve with 4 tbsp Dijon mustard, 12 cornichons and 1 tbsp coarse sea salt.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pot-au-feu take?
- About 270 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 240 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of cloves?
- Ground cloves, ¼ tsp for every 3 whole cloves.
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GreekPerfect for:Winter warmers