Elsässer Baeckeoffe

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large lidded earthenware Baeckeoffe terrine or 5 to 6 litre Dutch oven
• •Glass or ceramic marinating bowl
• •Rolling pin or clean hands for forming the sealing dough

Instructions

1. 1

   Marinate the meats

   Put the pork, beef, and lamb in a glass or ceramic bowl with the Riesling, half the onions, the leek, garlic, bay, thyme, juniper, and peppercorns. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning once if you remember. The wine needs time against the shoulder cuts; it seasons deep and gives the braise its liquid, so don't pour it away later.

   Use a dry Alsatian-style Riesling or Sylvaner, not a sweet bottle. Sweet wine turns the potatoes clumsy and flat before the meat is tender.
2. 2

   Prepare the pot

   Heat the oven to 160C. Grease a large lidded earthenware terrine or Dutch oven with lard or oil, because the bottom layer of potatoes needs fat between starch and clay or iron. Slice the potatoes evenly, about 5mm, so they cook through at the same pace as the meat instead of leaving hard coins at the edge.

3. 3

   Layer the casserole

   Lay one third of the potatoes in the bottom of the pot and season with salt and black pepper. Add half the marinated meat and aromatics, then a layer of onions and carrots, then repeat, finishing with potatoes on top. Strain the marinade over the layers until the liquid comes just below the top potatoes; they should braise from below and brown lightly above, not drown.

4. 4

   Seal the lid

   Mix the flour, water, and pinch of salt into a plain dough, roll it into a rope, and press it around the rim before setting on the lid. Pinch the dough tight all the way around. This seal is the point: it traps the wine and meat juices, so the pot cooks evenly and the potatoes stay tender instead of drying out. Nicht aus dem Glas, and not under foil pretending to be a lid.

5. 5

   Bake slowly

   Bake for 3 hours, then lower to 150C if the pot is bubbling hard. A quiet bubble tenderises shoulder cuts; a violent boil tightens them and breaks the potato layers into paste. After 3 hours, crack the dough seal, lift the lid, and test the beef with a fork. If it resists, seal the lid back as well as you can and give it another 30 minutes.

6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Let the pot stand 15 minutes before serving, because the potatoes need that pause to drink back the wine-rich juices. Taste the top layer and salt at the end, not before the whole pot has reduced and settled. Würzen, Fett, Salz zum Schluss. Serve from the terrine with the broken sealing crust beside it if anyone wants to pull at it.

Chef Tips

• •Cut all three meats the same size. Pork, beef, and lamb have different fibres, and equal pieces keep one from drying while another is still tight.
• •Choose waxy potatoes, not floury ones. Floury potatoes collapse into the wine and turn the pot cloudy; waxy potatoes hold their slices and still drink the broth.
• •Don't overfill with wine. The liquid should sit just below the top potato layer, because the sealed pot creates its own juices as the meat and onions cook.
• •If lamb is hard to find, use more pork shoulder and beef chuck, but don't replace the whole dish with lean loin cuts. Lean meat dries before the potatoes understand what happened.
• •Serve with a sharp green salad or pickled cucumber. The pot is deep and wine-rich, and it wants acid beside it, not a heavy sauce on top.

Advance Preparation

• •Marinate the meat 12 to 24 hours ahead; longer than that can make the outside of the smaller pieces too wine-sharp.
• •Slice the onions and leek the day before and keep them covered in the refrigerator, but slice the potatoes just before layering so they don't oxidise.
• •The cooked Baeckeoffe reheats well the next day at 150C, covered, for about 45 minutes. Add a small splash of wine or water only if the bottom looks dry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 650g)