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German Beef Ragout with Potato Croquettes

Counter 06 · Stews & Braises

German Beef Ragout with Potato Croquettes

Rindergulasch the German way: onion-heavy, mild paprika, a splash of dark beer, finished with sour cream and served with crisp potato croquettes to soak up every drop of gravy.

4.6 118 cooks rated this
Prep
30 min
Cook
2 hr 30 min
Serves
6
Level
Medium
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German beef ragout sits somewhere between Hungarian goulash and a French braise. It uses nearly equal weights of onion and meat, which melt into the gravy and thicken it without much flour. A bottle of dark lager adds a gentle malty bitterness. Most German households buy croquettes frozen and bake them, and there is no shame in that here. If you want to make your own, pipe cold mashed potato mixed with egg yolk into logs, bread them and fry at 350 F until golden.

Method

  1. Season the beef well with salt and pepper. Brown it in the lard in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat in batches, about 8 minutes per batch, and set aside.

  2. Add the onions with a pinch of salt, cover, and cook over medium-low for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until collapsed and golden.

  3. Stir in the paprika and tomato paste off the heat so the paprika does not scorch, then return to medium and cook 1 minute.

  4. Add the lager, stock, caraway and beef. Bring to a bare simmer, cover, and cook on low for 2 hours until the beef is tender and the onions have dissolved into the gravy.

  5. About 25 minutes before serving, bake the croquettes on a sheet pan at 425 F, turning once, until crisp and deep gold.

  6. Take the ragout off the heat. Whisk a ladle of hot gravy into the sour cream, then stir it back into the pot. Do not boil again or it may split.

  7. Plate the ragout beside the croquettes, drizzle a little extra sour cream over the meat, and scatter with scallions.

Hand lifting the lid of a red Dutch oven on a stove
Checking the braise under the Dutch oven lid
Hand seasoning a pot of broth beside a pan of browned meat
Seasoning the broth beside a pan of browned meat

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