Chef Recipe: The Baeckeoffe

Winter brings us snow, ice, and searing winds. It is the time for heartwarming dishes to help sustain us through the dreary weather.

I worked in the French region of Alsace for several years and learned to love the rich, earthy dishes of the area. The baeckeoffe is a classic Alsatian preparation that literally means “baker’s oven.” The story goes that the cook would prepare this dish, a stew of lamb, beef, pork, and potatoes, on Saturday night and then deliver it to the local baker who would let it slow cook in his bread oven. It would then be served for the Sunday meal. Decorative casseroles were used and the baker would wrap a piece of dough around the dish to create a seal, keeping the stew moist.  I have collected several of the casseroles, such as the one in this picture. Any ovenproof earthenware casserole will do. Enjoy!

RECIPE: THE BAECKEOFF

(Pork, Lamb, Beef with Onions and Potatoes Alsatian Style)

Ingredients                                            

• 1 lb pork shoulder
• 1 lb lamb shoulder
• 1 lb boneless beef short ribs
• 8 ounces sliced onions
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 cups white wine
• 1 bouquet garni  (parsley, thyme, and bay leaf wrapped in cheesecloth and tied with kitchen string)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
• Large ovenproof earthenware tureen fitted with a lid

Method

Cut the pork, lamb, and beef into small pieces.  In a large Pyrex-style bowl combine the onions, the garlic, the wine, the bouquet garni, and salt and pepper to taste and add the meat, covering it well with the wine mixture. Let the meat marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Remove the bouquet garni, reserving it, and drain the meat, reserving the marinade liquid. 

Peel and slice the potatoes ¼ inch thick. Put one layer of the potatoes into the ovenproof tureen and season it with the salt and pepper. Cover the potatoes with one layer of the meat mixture, add another layer of the potatoes, and season them. Add another layer of the meat mixture and finish with a layer of potatoes on top. Add the reserved marinade liquid and bouquet garni. Season the stew, cover it with the lid, and bake it in a preheated 325 F. for 2 hours and 30 minutes. Serve the baeckeoffe from the tureen family style.

Serves 6