France is really, really good at dishes that you need a Le Creuset for.
I’m not sure if that’s the reason that they’re so good at making Le Creusets, or if Le Creusets are the reason they’re so good at making these dishes, but most of my favorite French recipes include the line, “cover and simmer for several hours” – including beef bourguignon.
I’ve been trying to master bourguignon for years, and I’ve finally found the secret: the meat. All these years, I’ve been buying styrofoam trays shrink-wrapped in plastic with viande pour bourguignon stamped on them, and every time I do, my bourguignon ends up pretty tough (if delicious). In France, it turns out, beef is all grass-fed and tends to be leaner than in the U.S.; while it’s super flavorful, it tends not to be as tender.
This time, I went with meat from my ruche, and I didn’t buy the “bourguignon” odds and ends; instead I got a whole slice of jarret, which would probably be a beef shank back in the States, and I cubed it myself before marinating it overnight. The result has become my favorite rendition of beef bourguignon so far (even though – sacré bleu – there’s no gluten).
Yes, friends, as you may have guessed from the past year or so of posting recipes, I may live in the land of baguette, but I avoid gluten. Sometimes, I have to break my own rule (when bread from Du Pain et des Idées is on the menu, for example), but for the most part, especially when I’m cooking, I veer away from it.
That could have been a problem, but I found the solution: I mash a bit of potato into the gravy, and it works like a charm. It convinced my Country Boy, at any rate, and since my father-in-law’s bourguignon is the one to beat, I’d say that’s high praise.
Gluten-Free Beef Bourguignon
1 1/2 pounds beef shank (or other braising cut), cubed into 1-2-inch pieces
1/2 bottle Burgundy
3 ounces bacon, cut into lardons
2 tablespoons bacon fat
1 pound button mushrooms, halved
1 onion, diced
4 large carrots, halved and cut into chunks
4 potatoes, large dice
1 bouquet garni
water, as needed
salt and pepper
Place the beef chunks and the Burgundy in a glass bowl so that all the beef is covered with wine, and cover with plastic. Marinate overnight.
Remove the beef from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature.
Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the bacon. Cook until golden brown, then remove and set aside, leaving behind the fat.
Add the mushrooms to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown (about 10 minutes). Remove and set aside with the bacon.
Remove the beef from the marinade and pat each piece dry. Add the remaining bacon fat to the Dutch oven, then add the beef in one even layer. Season with salt and cook until browned on all sides. When turning to the last side, add the onion.
When the beef is browned and the onion is translucent and has just started to brown, add the marinating liquid, the bouquet garni, and a bit of water, if needed, so that the beef is completely covered with the sauce. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 1 hour.
Add the carrots and potatoes and cook for an additional hour, then remove the cover and test the beef to make sure it is tender. If it is, remove all of the beef and vegetables from the pot, and reduce the sauce by half. Discard the bouquet garni.
Once reduced, add a potato piece (or two) back to the pot and mash until smooth. Season as needed.
Add the beef, vegetables, and the reserved bacon and mushrooms to the pot and simmer just long enough to heat the reserved ingredients through.