Pot Au Feu

I decided to make Pot Au Feu for dinner tonight. It has turned a little on the cool side, you can feel California autumn in the air, and we just plain need some comfort food with all that's going on. This is an excellent dish to fit all of those categories, not to mention economical and healthy to boot!

Pot Au Feu

[poh toh FEUH]

Translated as "pot on the fire," this hearty French peasant dish combines beef and vegetables simmered in a seasoned broth. Condiments such as horseradish and mustard add a flavor boost to the finished stew.

Ingredients:
10 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
20 peppercorns (or omit and season with ground pepper before serving)
1 bay leaf
5 fresh thyme sprigs
4-5 lb. beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 10-12 pieces
4 cups beef broth
2 yellow onions, quartered
6 large carrots, peeled and each cut into 4 pieces
10 small Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
Kosher salt, to taste
2 turnips, peeled and each cut into 6 wedges

1 small head of green cabbage, cored and cut into small wedges
Prepared horseradish for serving
Dijon mustard for serving

Directions:
To make the bouquet garni, place the parsley, peppercorns, bay leaf and thyme in the center of a large piece of cheesecloth. Fold the cheesecloth over several times to enclose the contents and tie the ends together in a knot. (When I don't have cheesecloth, I just place the herbs in the broth. By the time is simmers, the leaves fall off into the stew and you just need to remove the stems. This is how I usually do it.)

Place the beef, broth, 4-6 cups water, onion and bouquet garni in a 6-quart Dutch oven. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, skimming off the foam as needed. Then cover and simmer for 2 hours more.

Add the carrots, potatoes and salt and cook, covered, for 30 minutes.

Add the turnips and cook, covered, for 15 minutes.

Transfer the beef to a cutting board and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Add the cabbage to the pot and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Remove the bouquet garni and discard. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning with salt. Adjust seasonings if needed. Sometimes I add a little beef bouillion and a bit of cornstarch mixture to thicken ever so slightly. Sometimes I don't. It just depends on my mood. Cut the beef into large chunks and divide among warmed bowls. Divide the vegetables and broth evenly among the bowls. Serve the pot-au-feu with horseradish, mustard and kosher salt alongside.

Serves 10.

This recipe is my adaptation of one from Williams Sonoma. I use my LeCruset pot, but any heavy pot will do.

This recipe can be cut in half, but I usually make the whole recipe because it tastes even better the next day!