Savoring Tradition: Homemade Rouladen

You might remember that I periodically get hit with a wave of nostalgia and return to the memories of my grandma’s favorite dishes. So as I’m enjoying the last days of holiday break, I found myself with time to make an elaborate dinner on a weeknight. I decided to make rouladen. Fun fact, growing up, we referred to this dish as mock ducks and I would love someone to explain why that might have been because these are a wonderfully tasty beef dish similar to braciole.

• 2 lbs beef roast, sliced thin
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 6 pickles, diced (I used a mix of bread and butter and cornichons)
• 6 slices of bacon
• German mustard (something spicy)
• Salt & pepper
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 1 tsp cornstarch

Let’s cook!

• Pound the beef slices to about 1/8 inch thick
• Spread each slice with a healthy coating of the mustard
• In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon. Remove from the skillet and drain (reserve a tablespoon of the drippings)
• Sauté the carrots and onions until soft. Remove from the pan and mix in the pickles.
• Spread the carrots, onions, and pickles over each slice of beef
• Crumble the bacon and sprinkle over the vegetables.
• Season each of the rolls with salt and pepper.
• Roll up each slice of beef. Secure with cooking twine or toothpicks
• Brown the rolls in the Dutch oven.
• Remove the rouladen so you can add the stock and wine to the pot, scraping up any browned bits
• Return the rouladen to the pot, cover and simmer on low heat for 90 minutes until the beef is super tender

The kitchen was filled with the most amazing aroma of the beef simmering when my husband came home! When I say super tender, you could cut through the rolls with a fork. I served it with Spätzle and green bean casserole (red cabbage would work really well too).

What meals remind you of home or bring back special memories? I’d love to hear your stories!

Eat well friends!

Before you go—come join me at the table! Gather & Savor is my laid-back Substack where I share the recipes, stories, behind-the-scenes moments, and seasonal favorites that make life delicious. I’d love to have you there. Take a look and subscribe!