Rouladen (German Braised Beef Rolls)

Ingredients

• 4 beef top round or sirloin steaks, pounded thin (about 6 oz / 170g each)
• 3 tbsp German mustard or coarse Dijon mustard
• Salt and black pepper
• 4 slices bacon
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 4 dill pickle spears
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 cups (475ml) beef stock
• 1/2 cup (120ml) dry red wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour mixed with 3 tbsp cold water, for thickening
• Toothpicks or kitchen string, for tying the rolls

Before you cook

• Lay each beef steak between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound it with a meat mallet until about 1/4 inch thick and roughly doubled in size
• Season both sides of each steak with salt and pepper
• Spread a tablespoon of mustard evenly over one side of each steak, all the way to the edges
• Lay a strip of bacon across each steak near one short end
• Scatter a small handful of sliced onion over the bacon on each steak
• Lay a pickle spear on top of the onion on each steak
• Roll each steak up tightly from the filled end, tucking in the sides as you go
• Secure each roll with two toothpicks or tie it with kitchen string so it holds its shape

Steps

1. Heat the oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it shimmers
2. Lay the beef rolls seam-side down in the pot and brown them on all sides, about 8 minutes total, turning with tongs
3. Lift the browned rolls out onto a plate
4. Add the remaining sliced onion to the fat left in the pot and cook for 4 minutes, stirring, until softened
5. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a minute until it darkens slightly
6. Pour in the red wine and scrape up every browned bit stuck to the bottom of the pot
7. Let the wine bubble for 2 minutes to cook off the raw alcohol smell
8. Pour in the beef stock and drop in the bay leaf
9. Nestle the beef rolls back into the liquid, seam-side down
10. Bring it to a simmer, then cover the pot and reduce the heat to low
11. Braise for 2 hours, turning the rolls once halfway through, until they are fork-tender
12. Lift the rolls onto a serving platter and remove the toothpicks or string
13. Skim any visible fat off the surface of the braising liquid
14. Bring the liquid back to a simmer
15. Whisk in the flour-and-water mixture a little at a time until the gravy coats the back of a spoon
16. Season the gravy with salt and pepper to taste
17. Spoon the gravy over the rolls before serving