France Baeckeoffe (Baker’s Oven)
One of the most popular French casseroles, baeckeoffe originated in the Alsace region that borders Germany. The name of the dish means “baker’s oven” and references the practice of Alsatian women who circumvented the prohibition against work on the Sabbath by preparing this dish on Saturday and giving it to their local baker to cook in the bakery’s cooling ovens until the end of church services on Sunday. This long-cooking one-pot stew is the ultimate flavorful French meal.
Recipe Servings: 10
Prep Time
30 minutes
+ 12 hours resting
+ 12 hours resting
Cook Time
4 hours
Total Time
16 hours 30 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- 2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
- 2 small leeks, white and pale green parts finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 2–3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp (5 ml) whole juniper berries
- 2 tsp (10 ml) finely chopped fresh thyme
- 3 Tbsp (12 g) finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 3 cups (750 ml) dry white wine
- 1 lb (450 g) boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1¼-inch (3-cm) chunks
- 1 lb (450 g) boneless pork butt, trimmed and cut into 1¼-inch chunks
- 1 lb (450 g) boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1¼-inch cubes
- Salt, to taste
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 4 lbs (1.8 kg) russet potatoes, peeled
Directions
- Place onions, leeks, carrot, garlic, bay leaves, juniper berries, thyme, parsley, wine, beef, pork, lamb, salt, and black pepper in a large, sealable plastic bag.
- Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, turning the bag over three times during the marinating process.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C) and grease a large casserole dish with olive oil.
- Slice the potatoes into thin segments.
- Cover the bottom of the casserole dish with about half of the potatoes.
- Drain meat and vegetables, retaining the marinade.
- Arrange meat and vegetables on top of the layer of potatoes.
- Layer remaining potatoes over the meat and vegetables.
- Pour marinade over the potatoes until the top layer of potatoes is submerged. If necessary, add extra wine or water.
- Cover casserole dish and bring mixture to a simmer on the stovetop.
- Transfer dish to the oven and bake for 3½ hours, or until the meat is tender.
- Remove baeckeoffe from the oven and serve hot.
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