Brielle's Avalon

This is my Grandmother’s recipe. I’ve been craving saurbraten for some time. I finally decided to make it…but pandemic happened. Oh well, here goes…

4 lb boneless top round (beef) roast. OK, pandemic, I used a 2 lb chuck…you get what you get. Put it in a glass or ceramic bowl.

Add: 1 large onion, thick-sliced, 2 Bay leaves (1 if you’re using a smaller cut), several peppercorns, salt, 2 Tbsp sugar (I used brown, just because), mixed spices (nutmeg, mace, ginger, cinnamon, allspice), 1 c red wine or mild vinegar (wine or malt vinegar is fine), enough beef broth or consume to cover roast, add water if you need to. I used turkey broth because pandemic is upon us. If you have whole allspice or a cinnamon stick it’s fine to use them instead of ground stuff.

Turn it over a few times to get it all mixed well.

Cover with a plate and let marinate in the fridge for 2 or 3 days. OK, you can use plastic wrap, but hey, why waste it? We’re in a pandemic after all and why add more crap to an already struggling world overburdened with plastic? Turn it a couple times a day. See you in a couple days.

Dry the roast with a paper towel and brown in a skillet.

Put into a roasting pan with the marinade and roast, covered, for about 20 minutes per pound at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. This was a 2 1/2 pound roast so I went an hour and a half at 325  so I’d have time to get other things done, too. Yeah, maybe I need to work on my math. But darn, I’ll have to make this again…in less than a decade this time.

Arrange the roast and cooked onions on a platter to rest while you make the gravy.

Zap 6 or 8 gingersnaps in a blender. Use this to thicken the gravy.

Pour the juices into a saucepan and bring the juices to a boil, reserving some in case you have to thin the gravy.

Add gingersnaps to thicken. Stir quickly and vigorously to avoid lumps. You can strain out the lumps if any form, or you can leave them in to proudly prove this was home-made. Add some reserved juices if you need to thin it a bit. Add sour cream to taste if you like.

  Serve with potato dumplings and the vegetable of your choice.