Pot-au-Feu: A Timeless French Classic
The Quintessential Family Meal of France
Pot-au-feu is a slowly simmered meat and vegetable dish that appears on most home tables in France. Pot au Feu, which literally translates to ‘pot in the fire’, started its life in working-class homes as a way to make less expensive cuts of beef more tender and palatable. Think of the original crockpot. The long slow cooking resulted in 2 dishes: a clear nourishing broth and a rich meal of beef and vegetables.
There are as many variations for pot au feu as there are cooks. I have eaten pot-au-feu prepared with lamb, chicken, lobster. and even a version that more resembled the ingredient list for a proper cassoulet.
The two versions I have included are how my mother cooked it and a more restaurant version from chef Michel Guerard. Whichever recipe you follow, the constants remain the same: The broth is always served first with toasted slices of baguette crowned with morsels of fatty beef marrow, then the meat and vegetables are served second.
My Mother’s Pot au Feu
My mother’s version is more traditional and typical of what you would find in most homes. It is made from three different cuts of beef that are slowly simmered together. The vegetables…
