Spring break

One dish, several variations

Each family has its own recipe for pot-au-feu, basically boiled meat and vegetables. The concept is simple: You simmer chunks of meat together with an onion (studded with cloves), leek and bouquet garni until tender, adding vegetables (like carrots, green beans, potatoes, turnips, yam) to the pot about 30 minutes before the cooking ends. Pot-au-feu is a practical dish. The broth can be used to make a soup (delicious with tubetti pasta and a squirt of lemon juice). The meat and vegetables can be a proper meal by themselves, and any leftover meat can be used to make burgers. All you need to do is place sliced or shredded meat on a bun and add your favourite condiments. Voilà!

Pot-au-feu burgers

Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 5 minutes
Cost per serving: about $2.25
4 servings

Ingredients

500 mL (2 cups) pulled beef from leftover pot-au-feu
250 mL (1 cup) pot-au-feu cooking juice
4 slices of sweet potatoes*

Spicy coleslaw
1/4 red cabbage, shredded
1/4 green cabbage, shredded
2 green onions, finely chopped
125 mL (1/2 cup) mayonnaise
125 mL (1/2 cup) yogourt
Lemon juice
30 mL (2 tbsp) Sambal Oelek
5 mL (1 tsp) crushed cumin seeds
5 mL (1 tsp) crushed coriander seeds
5 mL (1 tsp) honey
60 mL (1/4 cup) chopped chives
4 toasted buns

Preparation

1 Heat and shred the meat in its cooking juices. Form patties. 
2 Coleslaw: In a bowl, combine cabbage and green onions. 
3 In another bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. 
4 Combine with cabbage and season with salt and pepper. 
5 Garnish buns with meat patties and potato slices. Serve with coleslaw and other condiments, to taste.

*For the pot-au-feu, add the vegetables that cook faster — such as the sweet potatoes — during the last 30 minutes of cooking.

Another idea

Have you ever heard of beef mironton? It’s also prepared with pot-au-feu leftovers. Cut the meat and vegetables into small pieces, then sauté them in a large saucepan with onions or shallots. Add a little broth from the pot-au-feu and, depending on the recipe, some tomato sauce, vinegar, red wine or white wine.

What to drink with these burgers

This vegetal-scented recipe calls for a fruity, medium-bodied red, like the Paul Jaboulet Aîné Parallèle 45, with notes of fruit, dried herbs and a hint of spice; the Étienne Marceau, a Languedoc-Roussillon red made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah and also hinting of spice, with aromas of violets and blackberry, among others. Or try the Château Puyfromage, a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with fleshier tannins than the first two. The stew will be well accompanied by this one’s notes of raspberry and blackberry and its hint of liquorice.