German Beef Roulades

Preparation

Beef roulades with spiced red cabbage are a German specialty, often served at festive occasions and family gatherings. Thin slices of beef are rolled around a filling of mustard, bacon, onions, and pickles, then seared and slowly braised. Served with buttered spätzle noodles or mashed potatoes, this dish makes a hearty and comforting dinner in colder months.

1. Assemble and sear the roulades: Season 1 steak with salt and pepper. Spread with about 1 teaspoon mustard and top lengthwise with 2 slices bacon. Top bacon crosswise with 4 pickle batons and 3 onion strips. Fold long edges over filling, then roll up tightly starting with a short end. Tie each roulade like a parcel with kitchen twine. Repeat with remaining roulade ingredients.
2. Heat oil and butter over medium-high heat in a HexClad Small Hybrid Roasting Pan set over two burners. Add roulades and sear, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
3. Prepare the braising mixture: Preheat a convection or fan-forced oven to 325°F/160°C. Add a splash of the wine to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring to release browned bits. Add carrot, celeriac, leek, and bay leaf and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Stir in sugar and tomato paste and cook 1 minute, then add 1 cup/230 milliliters of the wine and cook 2 minutes more. Add the remaining wine, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook until reduced by half, 3 to 5 minutes. Add stock and water and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and nestle roulades in the braising mixture.
4. Roast the roulades: Cover pan with foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and roast for another 30 minutes, turning roulades halfway through.
5. Meanwhile, make the spiced red cabbage: Heat butter in a HexClad 8QT/7.5 L Hybrid Stockpot over medium heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add sugar and cabbage and cook, stirring until sugar is dissolved, 2 minutes. Add apples, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaf, and cloves. Stir in the wine and 2 tablespoons of the vinegar, then season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
6. Remove cinnamon stick, star anise, and bay leaf. Stir in jelly and remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm.
7. Make the sauce: Transfer roulades to a platter, snip and remove twine, and cover to keep warm. Strain braising mixture through a fine sieve into a HexClad 2QT/2 L Hybrid Saucepan. Stir a ladle of the liquid into the cornstarch in a medium heatproof bowl. Pour cornstarch mixture back into roasting pan and boil over medium-high heat while stirring. Add cold butter one cube at a time, continuously stirring, until melted and sauce is glossy. Season with salt and pepper. 
8. Serve roulades with sauce, generous portions of the cabbage and buttered spätzle noodles or mashed potatoes.

Note: If you can’t find roulade steaks, get a top round roast and ask your butcher to cut it into 10 roulade steaks for you: Slices should be roughly ¼ inch/½ centimeter thick, 5 inches/12 centimeters wide, and 10 inches/25 centimeters long. You can also cut the roast into 10 (5-oz/150-gram) oblong pieces, nest each between layers of plastic wrap, and pound with a meat mallet to flatten.