German Rouladen - Wicked Good Eats
German Rouladen - Wicked Good Eats

German Rouladen – Wicked Good Eats

Rouladen is a German recipe that uses meat, usually beef but pork also, with a filling to roll up and cook. Smothered in gravy with potato dumplings and pickled red cabbage on the side. This is one tasty treat will never forget.

You will need some plastic wrap to cover the meat when you tenderize it. It’s recommended you tenderize the meat on a solid surface, as it will need to take a pounding.

German Rouladen - Wicked Good Eats
German Rouladen – Seasoning and filling the beef.

This dish goes well with many sides but the traditional German side is potato dumplings or mashed potatoes and pickled red cabbage. Roasted winter vegetables are another common side dish. The gravy is an absolute requirement to round off the dish and is usually poured over the meat. Spätzle are a good complement to the dish since they soak up the gravy well.

The dish is considered traditional also in the Upper Silesia region of Poland where it is known as rolada śląska (Silesian roulade) and in the Czech Republic where it is known as španělský ptáček (spanish bird).

Rouladen

Rouladen is a German dish and one of my favorite foods.  Served with potatoes, noodles or even rice, this dish is a meal to remember. I highly recommend you try this. A little labor-intensive, but you won’t be disappointed.

  • 6 large Top Round Beef slices (cut or pounded until the slices are about 1/4″ thick)
  • 1 large white or yellow onion (chopped)
  • 1 cup diced bacon
  • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh marjoram and/or parsley
  • Salt and pepper
  • ⅓ cup spicy mustard
  • 6 small pickles
  • wooden toothpicks
  • 1 cup rough-chopped carrots
  • 1 cup rough-chopped celery
  • 1 cup rough-chopped onions
  • 4 tbs tomato paste
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 32 oz beef stock (low sodium is best)
  • Cooking oil
  • ½ cup cornstarch
  • 1 cup water
  1. Heat oil in a pan and add one cup of chopped onion, stirring until the onions are translucent and slightly golden.
  2. Add the chopped marjoram to the cooked onions and set in the refrigerator to cool.
  3. In a separate pan fry the bacon until the pieces are slightly crispy, remove from oil, and cool.
  4. Layout the six 1/4″-inch beef top round slices onto a clean surface.
  5. Season each slice of beef with salt and pepper.
  6. Generously spread mustard onto the meat slices.
  7. Spread the cooked and cooled bacon evenly on each slice.
  8. Add a pickle to the center of each slice.
  9. Distribute the cooked and cooled fried onions onto each slice.
  10. Roll up each slice, while turning the sides up and in to keep ingredients inside the roll.
  11. Secure each beef roll with one or more toothpicks.
  12. In a large pot brown each beef roll on all sides in hot oil.
  13. Remove the Rouladen from the pot.
  14. Add the rough-chopped onions, carrots, and celery to the meat drippings in the pot and stir.
  15. Add the tomato paste.
  16. “Deglaze” the pot with the red wine.
  17. Add the beef stock to the pot of vegetables and bring to a boil.
  18. Return the beef rolls to the pot.
  19. Cover the pot and place it into an oven set at 350 degrees.
  20. Cook the beef, covered, for 1 1/2 hour.
  21. After 1 1/2 hours remove the Rouladen from the pot.
  22. You may use a traditional flour and butter “Roux” as a thickener, but thickening the sauce over med-high heat using a mixture of Cornstarch and water (add the cornstarch/water mixture a little at a time until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon).
  23. Use a strainer to remove the carrots, celery, and onions so that you have a flavorful but smooth sauce to serve with or over the Rouladen.
  24. The perfect sides include red cabbage and mashed potatoes or potato dumplings (or bread dumplings).

This dish was considered a dish for common people. It is nowadays enjoyed by many as a festive dish. So to help you get cooking here is some mood music.

Ships Cook Delicious Diana

Hi, my name is Diana. I am the Ships Cook and Editor for the Food section of Postcards from the Edge. I write the recipes, cook and bake some of the recipes of my favorite foods. You will find desserts and all kinds of different dishes featured on this page. I also write reviews of restaurants in the many places I have traveled. I am a well-rounded cook, having spent time in the Wind River Mountains as a horseback guide, Nothing like cooking food over a fire to make a memorable meal for a guest. I love to entertain small groups of people and treat them to some of my favorite dishes.

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