This classic French soup features tender beef, root vegetables, and marrow for a rich, flavorful meal.
Frequently asked questions
What is pot-au-feu made of?
The iconic French dish pot-au-feu, or "pot on the fire," is a stew composed of meat — typically an assortment of beef cuts — along with carrots, potatoes, and an array of other vegetables. Here, beef is placed on a bed of onion, leek, celery, and carrot, then covered in water with fresh herbs and marrow bones and braised. Once the meat is tender, it's removed from the pot and the liquid is strained. From there, additional vegetables such as parsnips, turnips, and rutabagas are cooked in the fragrant broth,
How do you eat pot-au-feu?
For this recipe, the broth, meat, and vegetables are all eaten together. In France, however, it's common to serve the broth alone as the first course. Then the meat and veggies are presented on a platter to be enjoyed with a sauce made from additional broth combined with horseradish or mustard and sour cream.
Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen
For this dish, David Duband braises two cuts of beef — shank and rump roast — with marrow bones and then separately cooks leeks and carrots with more marrow bones until everything is deeply flavorful and tender. When serving, you can mix the horseradish with the sour cream to make a tasty garnish.
Suggested pairing
Try a powerful red Burgundy, such as a bottle from Gevrey-Chambertin, with this soup.
