Meat roulades with gherkins in dark onion sauce

11. Roast the onions and carrots until golden brown.
Place the prepared onions and the finely chopped carrot into the roasting pan.

Roast the vegetables vigorously, stirring them frequently to ensure that as many browned areas as possible develop without burning the ingredients.

The existing pan drippings from the meat roulades combine with the onions and carrots, later giving the sauce its robust character.

12. Roast tomato paste and paprika powder.
Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and 1 teaspoon of paprika powder to the roasted vegetables.

Briefly sauté both. The tomato paste should combine with the onions and carrots and darken slightly.

This also ensures that the paprika powder is evenly distributed in the sauce base. This step should only be done briefly to avoid overheating the paprika powder.

13. Stir in the broth, mustard, and sugar.
Pour 600 ml of meat broth into the roasting pan and stir in 1 tbsp of mustard and 1 tsp of sugar.

Carefully mix the ingredients together, incorporating any cooking residue stuck to the bottom of the pan into the liquid.

The mustard enhances the spicy notes already present in the filling. The sugar balances the strong flavors of onions, tomato paste, and mustard without making the sauce taste sweet.

14. Return the meat roulades to the roasting pan.
Carefully place the previously fried meat roulades back into the prepared sauce.

Make sure they are arranged as evenly as possible in the roasting pan. The sauce should surround the roulades while they braise and absorb their browned flavors.

Gently braise the meat rolls.
15. Simmer covered for about 30 minutes.
Cover the roasting pan and gently braise the meat roulades for about 30 minutes.

During this time, the meat roulades cook completely through, while at the same time their browned aromas combine with the onion sauce.

Gentle braising is crucial here. The liquid should not boil unnecessarily vigorously, but rather allow the roulades to cook evenly and the sauce to slowly become more aromatic.

Avoid moving the roulades too much. This helps them retain their shape better and keeps the gherkin and onion filling securely inside.

16. Remove the meat roulades
After about 30 minutes, carefully remove the meat roulades from the roasting pan.

They are kept warm briefly while the sauce is finished.

Be especially careful when lifting them out so that the soft, braised roulades do not break apart.

17. Puree the sauce or leave it chunky.
Now the onion sauce can be finished according to personal taste.

For a smooth, even sauce, purée the onions and carrots together with the liquid. This creates a rich, creamy sauce where the individual pieces of vegetables are no longer clearly visible.

Those who prefer a more rustic version can leave the sauce chunky. This way, the softened onion strips and carrot pieces remain visible and provide additional texture.

Both variations go well with the meat roulades. The only crucial factor is the desired consistency.

18. Thicken the sauce if necessary.
If the sauce appears too thin after braising or puréeing, it can be thickened with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch if necessary.

This step is expressly optional. If the pureed onions and carrot already provide sufficient binding, additional cornstarch is not necessary.

The desired consistency depends on how thick or liquid the dark onion sauce should be served.

19. Season with salt and pepper.
Season the finished sauce with salt and pepper.

Taste it first, as the meat broth, mustard and the braised minced meat roulades have already added flavor to the sauce.

Only then add more seasoning if needed, until the onion flavors, mustard, paprika powder and the robust meat base are balanced and harmonious.

20. Serve the meat roulades with mashed potatoes and gravy.
Arrange the meat roulades on plates and serve with mashed potatoes.

Spoon plenty of dark onion sauce over or alongside the roulades. The mashed potatoes absorb the rich sauce particularly well, creating a soft, mild contrast to the savory filling.

When cut open, the gherkin in the middle becomes visible, surrounded by the minced meat casing, mustard and onions.

What makes these meat roulades special
Classic roulades are often prepared with whole slices of meat. In this version, however, seasoned minced meat forms the outer casing.

This results in a particularly juicy, robust roulade that can be easily shaped around the filling of gherkins and onions.

The combination of minced meat, mustard and gherkin is reminiscent of traditional hearty home cooking, but gains additional depth from the dark onion sauce.

Why the mince should be distributed evenly
A uniform thickness is particularly helpful when shaping. If one part is significantly thinner than the rest, it can tear more easily when rolling or frying.

Thicker parts, on the other hand, take longer to cook completely when braising.

Shaping the mixture between baking paper makes it easier to obtain a surface that is as even as possible without unnecessarily processing the mince.

The gherkin as the core
The four gherkins are not cut into small pieces, but are placed whole in one of the four roulades.

This gives each portion a clearly visible spicy core when cut.

The tangy pickle provides a strong contrast to the robust minced meat and the dark onion sauce. At the same time, it goes very well with the mustard note that is present in both the filling and the sauce.

Why mustard is used twice
The recipe uses a total of two different portions of mustard.

The 2 tablespoons of medium-hot mustard are spread directly onto the flattened ground meat. This allows the mustard to season the roulades from the inside and ensures it’s in close contact with the onions and pickles.

An additional tablespoon of mustard is added to the sauce. This second portion combines the seasoning of the filling with the dark onion sauce and ensures that the mustard flavor permeates the entire dish.

The importance of searing
Browning is one of the most important steps for the flavor of the sauce.

The meat roulades are first browned thoroughly all over and then removed from the roasting pan. The resulting browned bits, however, remain in the roasting pan.

Then, onions and carrots are sautéed in it. This allows the meat and vegetable flavors to combine with the broth even before deglazing.

This setup explains why the same roasting pan is used for both the roulades and the sauce in the recipe.

The dark onion sauce
The sauce gets its character primarily from the 3 large onions, which are roasted until very dark.

Together with the carrot, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and 1 teaspoon of paprika powder, an intense, darker base is initially created.

This is then combined with 600 ml of meat broth to create the braising liquid. Mustard and sugar round out the flavor.

During the approximately 30 minutes of braising time, the liquid absorbs additional aroma from the minced meat roulades.

Why the onions are roasted until very dark
The onions are not just a flavorful addition, but the most important basis of the sauce.

By roasting them thoroughly, they develop significantly more depth of flavor than just softened onions. At the same time, the darker browned bits contribute to the color of the finished sauce.

It’s important to distinguish between deep roasting and burning. The onions should develop a deep brown color, but not any burnt spots.

Properly incorporate tomato paste
The 2 tablespoons of tomato paste are not mixed directly with the broth, but are first briefly roasted together with the paprika powder.

This allows the tomato paste to combine with the roasted onions and carrot before any liquid is added.

This step enhances the robust character of the dark sauce and ensures that the tomato paste is not perceived as just a single component.

Gentle braising instead of vigorous boiling
After the meat roulades are placed back in the roasting pan, they are covered and gently braised for about 30 minutes.

Gentle heat is better than a strong boil. The roulades should cook evenly while the sauce slowly develops its flavor.

Overcooking could also cause the delicate meat roulades to move more and affect their shape.

Smooth or rustic: two options for the sauce
After removing the roulades, the sauce can be adjusted to personal taste.

When pureed, the result is a smoother, creamier sauce in which the onions and carrots are completely combined with the liquid.

The chunky sauce retains a more rustic character. The soft, braised onion strips are clearly visible and provide more texture.

Since both options are explicitly provided for, there is no right or wrong answer here.

When cornstarch is useful
The 1 tablespoon of cornstarch is optional and is only needed if the sauce does not yet have the desired consistency after braising.

Especially when the sauce is pureed, onions and carrots can already provide a certain natural thickness.

Therefore, first assess the finished consistency and only then decide whether additional binding is required.

See more on the next page

Pages: 1 2 3