Mains · By James
Rouladen (Elfriede's Classic)
The recipe for this classic German comfort food was dictated to me in typically general fashion by Elfriede many years ago, and we had enjoyed making them for special occasions in the winter. Alex and I made them once, a part of his German heritage, and he often talks about the fun we had assembling them. In 2023, we held a rouladen-making in honor of Elfriede who had passed away a year earlier. Josh was visiting from London, and Rose and Andre were staying with Gerd through the summer/fall. The opportunity to have all three generations of Kriesels making the rouladen was not to be missed! Josh had never helped in the process, and was excited to learn this dish he had loved since childhood. Gerd had always helped Elfriede to assemble the rouladen, and thoroughly relished his role as advisor/assembler during the process. The rotkohl, which is a fundamental part of this meal, is probably best using the Kuhne prepared red cabbage (all natural, and beautifully balanced) and then doctoring it with bacon, onion, green apple, and cloves (this is how Elfriede did it). We have had it lovingly made from scratch by Ulrike Pillibeit with bacon and apple, and it was excellent, but the doctored Kuhne was more balanced. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Rouladen
- 12 roulades (specially cut from "top-round roasts") — should be 10–12 inches in length
- Dijon or German mustard
- Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
- 1 package of thick-cut smoky bacon, excess fat removed from each slice
- 12 dill pickle wedges (long and thin)
- 1 large red onion, cut into thin strips (cut onion in half and then thin sliver the onion to create half-circles)
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1 litre good beef broth
Rotkohl (red cabbage)
- 720 ml jar of Kuhne prepared red cabbage
- ½ of big red onion, slivered
- 6 slices of bacon, cut into "lardon" strips
- 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and peeled, then cut into small pieces
- ½ tsp cloves
- Salt and sugar to taste
Rouladen
- 1
Spread out all roulades on counter (if you have the available space), and do the following with each roulade: thinly spread mustard on whole piece; sprinkle sea salt and freshly ground pepper on whole piece; spread thinly sliced onion on whole piece; place a couple of small strips of bacon (fat mostly removed) and one pickle wedge on one end of roulade; roll up roulade from the bacon/pickle end and place on its rolled seam into a big braising pan/pot that has the butter already melted in it.
- 2
Brown on medium heat on the rolled seam until well browned (about 8 minutes once they start sizzling to get a good Maillard reaction/browning), then gently turn to the other side (keeping the seam from opening up), and brown the other side well.
- 3
Fully cover the roulades with beef stock, cover the pan/pot, and braise for roughly 1.5 hours (if 1 litre stock isn't enough to cover the roulades, just top up with water until covered — don't add more liquid during the braising process).
- 4
Remove roulades carefully to a plate (cover to keep warm), and thicken the remaining beef stock with cornstarch to create your gravy. Adjust for salt.
- 5
Place 2 roulades on each plate, and serve with mashed potatoes and red cabbage. Cover with gravy!
Rotkohl
- 1
Sauté bacon slowly until well-browned/crispy. Get rid of most of the bacon fat after this (can leave a tablespoon or so). Add the onions and cook with bacon until onions are soft.
- 2
Then, add your Kuhne prepared red cabbage, the diced apple, and cloves. Heat through and then taste/adjust for salt and sweetness levels.
A note from James
During the 1.5 hours of braising, make mashed potatoes for 6 people, and the red cabbage. Use a big enough braising pan/pot to place all 12 roulades down on the base — this allows you to cover them easily with the beef stock, and means less manipulation of the roulades (so they won't tend to fall open). Drink/wine pairing: Cabernet Sauvignon or Beronia Rioja Reserva for this robust dish!
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