German Rouladen Gravy

German rouladen are thin slices of beef spread with mustard, rolled around bacon, onion and gherkin, then braised for a couple of hours. The gravy that comes out of that pot is the reason people make them. It is dark, sharp with mustard and pickle, and thick enough to sit on a dumpling without running off. This makes it as a standalone sauce so you can have it with anything.

Ingredients

Makes about 650ml, enough for six

• 100g (3½oz) smoked streaky bacon, chopped
• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 3 gherkins, finely chopped the German style salzgurken or ordinary cornichons
• 2 tbsp German or Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 30g (1oz) plain flour
• 200ml (7fl oz) dry red wine
• 700ml (1¼ pints) hot beef stock
• 3 tbsp gherkin brine from the jar
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 tbsp soured cream
• salt and black pepper

Kit

• Heavy casserole or deep pan
• Wooden spoon
• Whisk
• Sieve

Method

1. Fry the bacon in the oil in a heavy pan over a medium heat for six or seven minutes until the fat has rendered and the pieces are crisp at the edges. Leave all the fat in the pan.

2. Add the onions and carrot and cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and going golden and the base of the pan is browning.

3. Stir in the gherkins, mustard and tomato puree and cook for two minutes. The tomato puree should darken and the mustard will smell sharp for a moment before settling.

4. Sprinkle over the flour and stir it through everything in the pan. Cook it for two minutes so it toasts slightly and stops tasting raw.

5. Pour in the red wine and scrape the base hard. Let it bubble for four minutes until reduced by half and thick around the vegetables.

6. Add the hot stock in three goes, whisking each in until smooth, then add the gherkin brine and the bay leaf. Bring to a simmer.

7. Cook uncovered at a lazy simmer for twenty five minutes, stirring every few minutes so it does not catch. It should reduce by about a fifth and turn a proper dark brown.

8. Fish out the bay leaf. For a rustic gravy leave it as it is, or push it through a sieve for a smooth one. Off the heat, stir in the soured cream, then taste and season. It should be sharp, savoury and mustardy rather than sweet. Serve with rouladen, dumplings, spaetzle or mashed potato.

Tips worth knowing

• The gherkin brine is what makes this taste German rather than generically beefy. Do not skip it, and taste before adding salt, since the brine and the bacon both bring plenty.
• Add the soured cream off the heat and do not let it boil afterwards, or it will split into grainy specks.
• If you are actually making rouladen, brown the rolls first, take them out, build this gravy in the same pan, then return them and braise covered for ninety minutes at 160C fan.
• German mustard is milder and slightly sweeter than Dijon. If you use Dijon, start with a tablespoon and a half and taste before adding more.

Keeping and reheating

Keeps four days in the fridge and improves on the second day. Freeze for three months without the soured cream, then stir that in fresh after reheating so it does not split.

Questions people ask