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Temperatures are dropping fast here, days are drawing in, and family dinner is enjoyed in front of a roaring fire. No dish could be more typically French and more suited to the winter months that the traditional pot au feu.
We enjoyed this totally delicious meal at friends yesterday evening, and I was reminded just how fantastic, home-cooked, simple food can be.
The beauty of the pot au feu is that although it needs to cook for a long while, it is not labour intensive, and that from the one dish, you can actually create several meals. There is the pot au feu itself of course, that is the braised meat and vegetables, but beforehand the bone marrow and delicious broth, and with any left overs the most wonderful hachis parmentier or shepherd’s pie.
To make a pot au feu I buy several different cuts of meat, I prefer to stick to beef, a beef shank, a piece of rump and a couple of large bones. You’ll also need fresh vegetables: potatoes, carrots, leeks, small turnips, maybe celeriac; a bouquet garni (parsley, bay leaf and thyme).
Start off by covering the meat with cold water in a large heavy stockpot, bring to the boil then let it simmer for a couple of hours with the bouquet garni added. Add the peeled vegetables, and let them cook then add the bone marrow when the vegetables are half cooked.
You want to finish with very tender meat and vegetables, perfectly cooked marrow and a clear flavoursome broth – the secret for this is to to let the dish simmer but never boil.
When everyone is ready to eat, serve first of all bowls of broth, accompanied by small pieces of toasted bread, and the marrow sprinkled with rock salt.
Next serve each guest with a plate of meat and vegetables, accompanied by more broth if desired, and it is very very desirable stuff!
If there is any meat or vegetables left over, then be happy! then next day the meat can be minced, and topped with pureed potatoes before popping into the oven to make a delicious shepherd’s pie.
Comfort food doesn’t get much better than this!
Bon appetit and thank you for reading me.
22 comments
I would LOVE to make pot au feu. But… You cannot buy a bone anywhere here. I live in a big USA city. All the meat comes to the butcher in vacuumed packed plastic bags. All the fat has also been removed. So many recipes call for a bone to make that lovely broth.
We're enjoying a Thanksgiving shephard's pie today….. Biscuits topped with turkey, topped with gravy, cranberries, stuffing and mashed potatos…… It's nothing short of divine but one must love sucré-salé or all bets are off, and such a welcome break after yesterday's cooking marathon! We celebrated late here in Switzerland with a wonderful group of expat friends. So good to be able to share home traditions while abroad.
This looks like a perfect Saturday night meal – thank you!
So good! Thanks for this lovely reminder.
Note to Catherine: Ask the meat man at your supermarket to Order some bones for you. If he says no can do, tell him you'll take your business elsewhere.
Thanks so much for the delicious recipe! Sounds wonderful. Must get the market and make some….
Nancy
https://wildoakdesigns.blogspot.com
I couldn't agree more!
So much so that today being a rather fresh day (it's spring down here in Buenos Aires) there's a pot on the stove with almost the same ingredients simmering slowly into a wonderful meal and leftover vegetable soup (which I'll freeze and use later as stock or soup).
It is only 10:00 am here and you thinking of dinner. Both the pot au feu and the sheperd's pie have me drooling. Thank you for the wonderful directions. Bonnie
Well, that certainly looks incredible! I am sitting by the fire wishing I had some really good comfort food and then I saw this! I need to get busy cooking!
Sharon, I must have read your mind. We are having very similar tonight, a joint of rump in the slo-cooker, with lots of lovely veg. If we are not too greedy, there should be enough left over for a cold meat salad with new potatoes and crusty bread tomorrow. And if I get my skates on perhaps I can make your scrummy creme caramel for dessert!
Ah… MERCI BEAUCOUP Sharon! I recognized le pot-au-feu on the first photo before I even started reading your post! Definitely one of my favorite French comfort foods. I always try to have pot-au-feu in Paris when I visit. Miam. Miam. Thanks again. Veronique (French Girl in Seattle)
Sharon, I can smell the delicious aromas from that pot-au-feu. Hmmm…yum! I've reduced all traces of turkey leftovers to stock and stuffed them them in the freezer. We're having a pot roast with veggies for dinner tonight. Leftover carrot cake from Thanksgiving for dessert. There will be way too much food for hubby, dogs and I. Ya all invited for dinner…:)
It sounds wonderful, you are so right – a thoughtful homemade meal is the best possible meal!
mary x
Love this ! Nothing better than winter comfort food- Hugs
what time is dinner? wish we could join you!
xo
Yummy – sounds like the perfect meal for a long, cold, winter's night! I'm drooling just looking at your pictures!
Have a wonderful week, Sharon!
Looks delicious! Perfect comfort food for a cold weather.
This looks delicious. I've never had much luck with braising beef. It never seems to get tender. I don't know what I'm doing wrong but the meat is always tough and chewy. 🙂 It reminds me of a chuck roast with veggies in a crock pot simmering all day long.
I'm new to this dish. It looks scrumptious. Thanks for sharing it.
looks sooo good! enjoy xxpeggybraswelldesign.
Hi, I am new to your blog and have really enjoyed reading it. Here in the Pacific Northwest (Washington state) it is the perfect weather for this type of meal. This dish sounded so good I made it tonight for dinner. It was perfect. Extremely easy, very satisfying and made the kitchen smell divine. There is nothing like the deliciousness of simple slow cooked food. Thanks.
Love your blog! Really love your pot au feu. And if I were being pedantic, shepherd's pie is made from lamb (shepherd is a clue!), cottage pie from beef.
jacey
Mouth Watering! Seems to be very delicious