Our thanks to past USWM Featured Chef, Dominique Fasano for sharing this amazing Hungarian beef dish.
Recipe Author: Dominique Fasano | Perchance To Cook
This roulade is one of those dishes where simple good quality ingredients result in the most flavorful melt-in-your mouth meals. And it just so happens to be naturally Paleo, Whole30, Gluten-free, Grain-free, and Clean… which is a great perk!
It’s basically long flat pieces of beef with bacon, onion, and thyme on it, that is then rolled together, and cooked until it is surrounded in a natural meat and bacon gravy. It’s an eastern european recipe that was passed down from my grandmother, and it’s a dish that I fondly remember eating in my childhood.
I did some research into this type of dish and found that it is also called a rouladen, which is German, and they make it with pickles in the middle. My mother always called it a roulady ( I’m not sure how to spell it but the word ends in a “Y” sound haha), and said this was a Hungarian / Eastern European version that was made in her family growing up. ( Her parents were Hungarian).
Either way, it’s DELICIOUS and such a treat to have for dinner.
Servings: 5
US Wellness Shopping List: Sugar-free Pork Bacon, Flank Steak or Skirt Steak
Photo Credit: Beef Roulade With Bacon, Onion, And Thyme by Dominique Fasano | Perchance To Cook
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 3 1/2 lbs thin beef skirt steak /flank steak ( long and thin pieces, between ¼-½ inch thick )
- 1 medium onion cut into thin wedges
- 10 pieces of bacon ,one piece per roulade ( make sure the bacon is nitrate-free and sugar-free)
- 13 fresh branches of thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 bay leaves
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- toothpicks
Instructions
- Put 2 cups of water into a large ceramic dutch oven.
- Take out the skirt steak/ flank steak, and cut into 8-9 inch long pieces (some can be longer than others, some 6 inches, some 11 etc.. ).
- Lay a piece of bacon flat on top of one piece of skirt /flank steak. ( If the bacon is too long, fold it over back on top of the steak or cut it to fit the piece ). Sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Towards the one side/end of the steak, place a wedge of onion and a branch of thyme, and roll the steak forward onto it self, until the meat is completely rolled up. Use two toothpicks to secure the end into the roll /roulade. Put the rolled roulade into the dutch oven, tooth pick side up, with the longest side facing down ( make sure the roulade is lying flat, like in my photo, you want the meat to roast/grill while it is cooking). Repeat until all the roulades are in the pan with water in it. Then, add 3 bay leaves, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, and 3 branches of thyme on top of the meat in the pan.
- Cook over medium heat. Once the water starts to boil, put a lid/cover on top of the pan, but make sure to leave an opening for air to still come out, about ¾ inch wide of an opening.
- After 25 minutes, turn each roulade on their sides, or toothpick towards the bottom of the pan. Keep cooking with the lid almond fully on, still with a 3/4 inch opening to let air out. After 20 more minutes, turn each roulade onto their other side. Remove the lid completely and cook for 15 more minutes.
- Remove the meat from pan, and increase the heat to high to evaporate the remaining liquid. Cook for 4-5 minutes, mixing often. Turn the heat off. Either put the meat back into the pan or pour the liquid on top of the meat.
This recipe yields 10 roulades total—usually the serving size is 2 per person, so this recipe should serve 5 people.
Meet The Chef:
Dominique Fasano is a past Featured Chef for USWM. Thanks to Dominique for sharing this Paleo & Whole30 friendly recipe. Dominique is a blogger, recipe developer and photographer for her blog Perchance to Cook. You can read more about Dominique and her fabulous recipes on her Featured Chef page.
