Baeckeoffe

Name: Baeckeoffe
Ingredients: Ingredients for 8 servings (if you have fewer people, don't worry—it's even better reheated, and you'll never get tired of it!); 1 large casserole dish; 5 1/2 lbs starchy potatoes (about 2.5 kg; they should absorb the juices and break down); 2 carrots; 1 leek; 1 lb (2 oz) beef chuck (about 500 grams); 1 lb (2 oz) pork shoulder (about 500 grams); 14 oz lamb shoulder (about 400 grams); 1 pig's foot, split in half; 4 1/4 cups dry Alsatian white wine (about 1 liter; Edelzwicker or Riesling); Water as needed and 1 vegetable bouillon cube; 1 bouquet garni (3 bay leaves, thyme, parsley stems, green part of leek, and a celery stalk); 3 onions and 1 clove garlic; Salt and 8 whole black peppercorns

Rita S. "au cochon heureux" @cook_8074167

Forêt-Noire

Baeckeoffe is without a doubt THE traditional Alsatian dish. Three types of meat are marinated in white wine and layered with thinly sliced potatoes, then slow-cooked for hours in a 'baeckeoffe' (which means 'baker's oven'—in the past, women would take their casserole to the baker to cook while they did laundry, picking it up hours later when it was perfectly done).

Every Alsatian home cook has a baeckeoffe casserole dish. You can also use it to slowly cook a cassoulet or choucroute... This large, earthenware Alsatian dish gets better with age, and personally, I couldn't do without mine.

These days, baeckeoffe is a winter dish since it takes up the oven for several hours and is hearty and filling. It's not fatty, but a pig's foot is essential for making the dish tender and rich. And I love it! This is MY recipe—I'm not claiming it's the only way to make it, since every cook has their own version. Culinary freedom for all!

Rita S. "au cochon heureux" @cook_8074167

Saved

Ingredients

Ingredients for 8 servings (if you have fewer people, don't worry—it's even better reheated, and you'll never get tired of it!)
1large casserole dish
5 1/2 lbsstarchy potatoes (about 2.5 kg; they should absorb the juices and break down)
2carrots
1leek
1 lb (2 oz)beef chuck (about 500 grams)
1 lb (2 oz)pork shoulder (about 500 grams)
14 ozlamb shoulder (about 400 grams)
1pig's foot, split in half
4 1/4 cupsdry Alsatian white wine (about 1 liter; Edelzwicker or Riesling)
Water as needed and 1 vegetable bouillon cube
1bouquet garni (3 bay leaves, thyme, parsley stems, green part of leek, and a celery stalk)
3onions and 1 clove garlic
Salt and 8 whole black peppercorns

Saved

Steps

1

24 hours ahead: Cut the meats into cubes and place them in a large bowl with the white wine. Add the peppercorns, crushed garlic clove, and 1 sliced onion. Cover and refrigerate. Do not add salt—never salt a marinade.
2

The next day: Grease the casserole dish with a little goose fat or butter. Peel, wash, and thinly slice the potatoes. Slice the onions, clean the carrots and leek. Use a food processor to slice the potatoes into rounds, or use a knife and some patience. Slice the leek and cut the carrots into thin rounds.
3

Layer the bottom of the casserole with potatoes, then add some leek and carrot rounds, the bouquet garni, and half of the pig's foot. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the meat from the marinade and add a layer of meat over the potatoes. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used (and you're out of energy!). Press everything down so it fits—don't forget the other half of the pig's foot, and finish with a layer of potatoes.
4

Pour in the marinade wine, then add water and the bouillon cube so everything is just covered with liquid. Cover with the lid and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 4 1/2 hours. Some say 2 1/2 hours is enough, but the longer the meat cooks, the better it is! Trust me... Serve hot with a green salad and good mustard (Alsatian mustard if you can find it).