Potage Bortsch

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5 to 6 quart heavy cocotte or Dutch oven
• •Rimmed roasting pan with rack
• •Chef's knife or mandoline with hand guard
• •Box grater or food processor grating disc
• •Clean linen or tightly woven dish towel
• •Broiler pan
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Fine skimmer or shallow spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut and press beets

   Cut the leeks, carrot, onion, cabbage, parsley root, celery, and the 4 ounces of beetroot julienne-fashion, meaning slender matchsticks of roughly equal thickness. Even cuts matter because the vegetables remain in the finished potage and must soften together. Grate about one quarter of the beetroot reserved for juice, then press it firmly through clean linen or a tightly woven dish towel. Measure 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 ml / 30 to 45 g) of juice for the simmer and keep it cold. Leave the remaining juicing beets whole and chilled until the final minutes so their color stays alive.

2. 2

   Semi-roast the duck

   Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Set the half duck skin-side up on a rack over a roasting pan and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until the skin is bronzed at the high points and the fat has begun to run, though the flesh remains undercooked. Semi-roasting builds the flavor expected by the formula without drying the duck before its long simmer. Save the rendered fat for another pan.

3. 3

   Étuver the vegetables

   Melt the butter in a narrow 5 to 6 quart heavy cocotte over medium-low heat. Add every julienned vegetable and a small pinch of salt, then étuver them, gently stewing them in butter, for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir often and keep the pot partly covered. They should soften, glisten, and smell sweet without taking brown color. If the butter begins to catch, pull the pot from the heat and stir in a spoonful of consommé before lowering the flame. Ça se rattrape.

   Browning is not the foundation here. The clear consommé and clean beetroot flavor need vegetables softened gently in butter, not a dark fond.
4. 4

   Simmer at a tremble

   Pour in the white consommé and the measured 2 to 3 tablespoons of beetroot juice. Add the tied fennel and sweet marjoram, the brisket, and the semi-roasted duck. Bring the liquid up slowly, skim away the first foam and excess fat, then cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar. Hold it at the barest tremble for 4 hours, turning the meats occasionally. A rolling boil clouds the consommé and tightens the beef. If the liquid falls much below halfway up the meats, add a little hot water, not more seasoned consommé. The brisket is ready when a thin knife enters without resistance.

5. 5

   Grill the chipolatas

   During the final 20 minutes, arrange the chipolatas on a broiler pan and cook them under a hot broiler, turning often, until evenly browned and cooked through to 160°F (71°C), about 8 to 12 minutes. While they are still warm, despumate them by slipping off their skins with the help of a clean towel. The home broiler is the honest equivalent of the salamander, and the chipolatas remain whole.

6. 6

   Cut the meats

   Lift the brisket and duck onto a board and discard the fennel and marjoram bundle. Skim the broth carefully but leave the butter-soft julienne in place. Cut the brisket into large dice, about 3/4 inch (2 cm), and remove the duck bones before cutting the meat into small slices. If the brisket still resists the knife, return it whole and simmer for another 20 minutes. Patience, not force.

7. 7

   Finish with raw juice

   Return the beef, duck, and despumated chipolatas to the pot and bring everything back to one bare simmer. Meanwhile, grate and press the remaining cold beetroot through clean linen, measuring 1/2 cup (120 ml / 120 g) of fresh raw juice and keeping any extra in reserve. Remove the pot completely from the heat, stir in the 1/2 cup of juice, then fold in the chopped fennel and parsley prepared according to Blanchings (No. 273). Taste and add salt only if the consommé requires it. Do not boil the potage again. If it does boil and the garnet color turns brown-red, take it off the heat and stir in the reserved raw juice one spoonful at a time. Ça se rattrape.

   The final raw juice is not optional coloring. Its fresh beetroot flavor and deep garnet hue are the last layer of the potage.
8. 8

   Serve cream separately

   Ladle the potage into warmed deep bowls, dividing the beef, duck, vegetables, and chipolatas generously. Send the sour cream to the table in a sauceboat so each guest may add a cool spoonful without clouding the whole tureen. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use a pale, clean white consommé rather than dark canned beef consommé, which muddies both the beetroot color and the flavor. If true consommé isn't at hand, a gelatin-rich, lightly seasoned pale stock is the honest home equivalent, though the broth will be less clear.
• •Keep the beetroot for the final juice whole and cold until the last minutes. Once grated, it oxidizes quickly; once boiled, its vivid color begins to dull. The fresh last pressing is the dish.
• •Chipolatas are small, slender pork sausages. Choose mild ones without smoke, garlic, or strong spice, because the fennel, marjoram, duck, and beetroot already give the potage its proper voice.
• •The canonical alternative replaces the chipolatas with twelve very small duck-forcemeat patties, cooked and served separately. It is a replacement, not an additional garnish.
• •The sour cream belongs in a separate sauceboat. Stirring it into the cocotte flattens the color and denies each guest the pleasure of choosing the richness of the bowl.

Advance Preparation

• •The potage may be simmered through the meat-cooking stage one day ahead. Remove the meats, cool them and the broth promptly in shallow containers, then cover and chill. Reheat them together at a bare simmer before adding the chipolatas and final raw juice.
• •The duck may be semi-roasted earlier the same day and held covered in the cold. Bring it out while the vegetables étuver so it loses its chill before entering the consommé.
• •Do not add the final raw beetroot juice or the herbs from Blanchings (No. 273) until serving. The juice may be pressed up to 4 hours ahead if kept tightly covered and cold, but pressing it in the final minutes gives the finest color.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 570g)