Rouladen are the dish of the German family table: slow, generous and associated with Sundays, birthdays and Christmas Eve. Wide, thin slices of beef are painted with hot mustard, rolled around smoky bacon, onion and a spear of dill pickle, browned hard and braised until tender. The gravy that results is, by common agreement, the real reason anyone makes them.

German butchers sell meat cut specially for rouladen; elsewhere, ask for top round sliced thin, or flatten it yourself. The rolls look complicated and are not, and they reheat so well that they are ideal for a race weekend, when the cook would rather be watching the Hockenheim stadium section than the stove.

The beef rolls

Ingredients

• 4 large thin slices of top round
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 teaspoons sharp German or Dijon mustard
• 8 slices smoked bacon
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2 dill pickles
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil

The gravy

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 carrot
• 1/4 small celery root
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) dry red wine
• 2 cups (480 ml) beef stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) cold water

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