Rheinischer Sauerbraten with Raisin-Gingerbread Gravy and Potato Dumplings

⏱ 270 min · Serves 6

The Rhineland's most famous Sunday roast: beef steeped for three days in red wine vinegar and spice, then braised until spoonably tender and finished with a dark, glossy gravy thickened the old way — with Lebkuchen and raisins. Serve with cloud-light half-and-half potato dumplings and braised red cabbage for the full Cologne experience.

Per serving: 760 kcal · 58.0g protein · 72.0g carbs · 26.0g fat

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg beef topside or brisket, tied
• 500 ml red wine vinegar
• 250 ml dry red wine
• 500 ml water
• 2 onions, sliced
• 1 large carrot, sliced
• 1 leek, sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 juniper berries, crushed
• 10 black peppercorns
• 4 cloves
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 strip lemon zest
• 2 tbsp lard or vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 80 g dark raisins
• 60 g Aachener Printen or gingerbread (Lebkuchen), crumbled
• 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• FOR THE DUMPLINGS:
• 750 g floury potatoes, boiled the day before and cooled
• 500 g floury potatoes, raw, peeled
• 60 g cornflour
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp salt
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 1 slice white bread, cubed and fried in butter (optional)

Method

1. 3 days ahead: bring vinegar, wine, water, onion, carrot, leek, bay, juniper, peppercorns, cloves, mustard seeds and lemon zest to a simmer, then cool completely. Pour over the beef in a non-reactive dish or bag so it is submerged. Refrigerate 3 days, turning daily.
2. Lift out the beef, pat very dry and season well. Strain the marinade, keeping both liquid and vegetables.
3. Heat lard in a heavy casserole and brown the beef hard on all sides, 10 minutes. Remove.
4. Fry the reserved marinade vegetables until golden, stir in tomato purée for 1 minute, dust with flour and cook 1 minute more.
5. Deglaze with 300 ml of the marinade, scraping the base, then add another 500 ml plus the sugar. Return the beef, cover and braise at 150°C (fan 130°C) for 2½–3 hours, turning every 45 minutes, until a skewer slides in easily.
6. Lift the beef onto a warm plate and cover. Blend the sauce smooth, then simmer with the raisins and crumbled Printen for 10–15 minutes until glossy and coating a spoon. Balance with salt, pepper and a little sugar or marinade to taste.
7. Dumplings: grate the raw potatoes finely into a bowl of cold water, then squeeze bone-dry in a tea towel over a bowl; let the starch settle, pour off the water and keep the starch.
8. Rice the cooked potatoes, mix with the squeezed raw potato, reserved starch, cornflour, egg yolk, salt and nutmeg to a smooth dough. Work quickly so it stays pale.
9. Shape 12 dumplings with wet hands, tucking a few buttered croutons into the centre of each. Poach in wide, barely simmering salted water for 18–20 minutes until they float and feel springy — never let it boil hard.
10. Slice the Sauerbraten across the grain, nap generously with the raisin gravy and serve with the dumplings and braised red cabbage.