Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Three days later...

Sauerbraten! I was pleased to see that none of the friends who had threatened to break into my place and steal this while I was at work today followed through.

Sauerbraten and noodles

The meat went in the oven at 7 am. I took it out at 10:45, then strained the braising liquid and made my gravy. I cut back the number of gingersnaps used to 12, because AB's gravy on the Good Eats episode looked almost too thick.

Sauerbraten and noodles

The meat was falling apart and very moist; gotta love a 3.5 hour braise. I had some buttered noodles on the side (organic pasta, even), and had a lovely lunch before I had to go off to work.

The one note I had was that the gravy, although very good, felt like it was lacking something. I was expecting much more of a hit from the vinegar, considering the sheer amount of vinegar in the dish. Something to make that acidity really pop, whether that's a bit more salt or a bit of lemon juice... whatever it needs, it doesn't need much. This is a darn tasty dish.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Sauerbraten, day one

I know, I know, I should be flogged for the lack of posts. I'm going to try to make up for it by taking three days to make sauerbraten.

I didn't even know I really needed to make sauerbraten. However, as I was sitting here Thursday night watching Good Eats, I realized that Alton Brown's sauerbraten was an absolutely essential project for the weekend.

Friday after work, I went in search of the one ingredient I anticipated having problems finding: juniper berries. My first instinct was to check at the natural market, and I was happy to see the berries hiding out in the bulk spice area, along with the mustard seeds and whole cloves that I needed.
Juniper berries

I figured I'd see how much of the rest of the ingredient list I could cross off while there. Most of their products there are organic, but not too pricey. I managed to find everything I needed except the beef and gingersnaps, so there was a quick stop off at Giant to get those. I found a nice Angus 2.5 lb bottom round roast, which is a good size for a roast when it's just me. I'll have plenty of leftovers.

This morning, I gathered everything up and made the marinade:
Sauerbraten marinade

After browning the beef, I poured the marinade over it and put it in the refrigerator. There it'll stay until Tuesday, when I stick it in a pot, put it in the oven, and forget all about it for 4 hours. Gotta love recipes like this: 20 minutes of work and let time do the rest. :D

Stay tuned...