24 March 2024

COOKING ON A CHILLY OR COLD DAY: Dish Classic Pot-au-Feu

Pot-au-feu is a French dish of slowly boiled meat and vegetables, usually served as two courses: first the broth and then the meat and vegetables. The dish is familiar throughout France and has many regional variations. The best-known have beef as the main meat, but pork, chicken, and sausage are also used.

Food & Wine

Classic Pot-au-Feu

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5 hr

What is pot-au-feu made of?

The iconic French dish pot-au-feu, or "pot on the fire," is a stew composed of meat — typically an assortment of beef cuts — along with carrots, potatoes, and an array of other vegetables. Here, beef is placed on a bed of onion, leek, celery, and carrot, then covered in water with fresh herbs and marrow bones and braised. Once the meat is tender, it's removed from the pot and the liquid is strained. From there, additional vegetables such as parsnips, turnips, and rutabagas are cooked in the fragrant broth,

How do you eat pot-au-feu?

For this recipe, the broth, meat, and vegetables are all eaten together. In France, however, it's common to serve the broth alone as the first course. Then the meat and veggies are presented on a platter to be enjoyed with a sauce made from additional broth combined with horseradish or mustard and sour cream.

Note from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

For this dish, David Duband braises two cuts of beef — shank and rump roast — with marrow bones and then separately cooks leeks and carrots with more marrow bones until everything is deeply flavorful and tender. When serving, you can mix the horseradish with the sour cream to make a tasty garnish.

Suggested Pairing

Try a powerful red Burgundy, such as a bottle from Gevrey-Chambertin.

Ingredients

1 large onion, quartered
6 large leeks, white and pale green parts only, cut into 2 1/2-inch lengths, divided
12 celery ribs, halved crosswise, divided
6 medium carrots, peeled and halved crosswise, divided
4 meaty beef shanks (about 3 pounds), 1 1/2-inches thick
1 (3-pound) beef rump roast or bottom round, tied
4 parsley sprigs
4 thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
8 to 10 (2-inch) marrow bones, divided (optional)
8 quarts water
6 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths
6 medium turnips, peeled and quartered
1 pound rutabagas, peeled and cut into eighths
1 1/2 pounds unpeeled small potatoes, about 1 1/2 inches, scrubbed
Freshly ground black pepper
Horseradish or whole grain mustard, for serving
Sour cream, for serving

Directions

In a large pot, combine the onion and half each of the leeks, celery, and carrots. Set the beef shanks and rump roast on top of the vegetables. Wrap the parsley, thyme, and bay leaves in a piece of moistened cheesecloth and tie into a bundle. Add the bundle to the pot along with the peppercorns and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Add two of the marrow bones and the water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and simmer, skimming occasionally, until the rump roast is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
Transfer the shanks and roast to a large bowl and cover. Strain the broth and return it to the pot. Boil over high heat until reduced to 10 cups, about 45 minutes; skim off the fat.
Add the remaining leeks, celery, and carrots to the broth along with the parsnips, turnips, and rutabagas. Cover and simmer over low heat until the vegetables are just tender, 30 minutes. Add the remaining 6 to 8 marrow bones and the potatoes. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 40 minutes.
Untie the rump roast and cut it across the grain into six to eight slices. Cut the shank meat into 2-inch chunks; add the meats to the pot and simmer until heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle the broth into shallow bowls. Add the meats, marrow bones, and vegetables and serve, passing horseradish, mustard, and sour cream at the table.