The rich aroma of seared beef and fresh garden herbs fills our small farmhouse kitchen; today, we’re making Jacques Pepin’s “Small Chuck Roast with Red Onion Sauce.” Outside our window, the Redbud tree is showing off its springtime colors and our river is surging happily, filled with recent April showers. Whether inside or outside, I can’t think of a place I would rather be; after all, this is my beloved Serendipity.
Hello, my friends. – For me, Spring is a thoughtful time of year – a time for reflection. Warmer weather tells me that my meal selections should use lower oven settings. It also reminds me that it’s now time to make seasonal selections of herbs from my own garden. And that’s why I chose Jacques Pepin’s rather unusual recipe for chuck roast. It’s a dish that clearly welcomes the transition from Winter to Spring.
Peculiar Technique for a Chuck Roast
I searched high and low for Jacques’s thoughts on the unusual technique he used for cooking the roast beef in this recipe. – I’m still searching.
Pondering the Reasons for this Technique
Although Jacques calls this a roast, that can be misleading. For example, he notes in his recipe that the meat can be grilled instead of being finished in the oven. He doesn’t say whether the meat should be sautéed before it is grilled. I assume he means for it to be either sautéed or braised first and then grilled. My Test Kitchen staff and I will have to try it out.
After preparing this dish twice now, I think the success of this dish depends almost completely on sautéing the meat long enough for the heat to make its way to the center of the chuck roast. When you place it in the oven, which is only set at 170 degrees, you aren’t so much roasting it as you are actually just allowing the meat to finish and rest.
Crowning this Chuck Roast with a Glorious Sauce
In direct contrast to the deceptive simplicity of meat preparation, we found that preparing the sauce was a no-brainer. All you have to do is prep the ingredients and mix them together. – I’m sure this red onion sauce would work well on other types of meat as well.
There is one caution, however. Go easy with the salt. This sauce doesn’t really need the ¼ teaspoon that is specified.
Tips for Success
Here are two tips for success in making this dish:
- Even if the weight of the cut of chuck is correct, if the thickness is too great, you will have to increase your time for sautéing the meat.
- Go easy on the salt in the red onion sauce.
Final Thoughts from Chef Blondie
This recipe is tricky and deceptively simple. In fact, it proved to be a real challenge for the entire SFH Test Kitchen staff. Nevertheless, the effort was well worth it. This recipe forced us to ponder the mysteries of the peculiar cooking technique Jacques used. – He is a true master of the culinary arts.
So, watch our video, try out this recipe, and, as always, Happy Cooking!
Resources
The recipe used here was adapted from Jacques Pepin’s Small Chuck Roast with Red Onion Sauce recipe on p. 215 of Jacques Pepin Heart and Soul in the Kitchen.
Small Chuck Roast with Red Onion Sauce
Notes
Note 1: If the roast is thicker than 1¼ inches, even if it weighs the same amount, increase the cooking time; if it is thinner, shorten the cooking time.
Note 2: In this recipe, the roast is sautéed briefly and then finished in the oven. Alternatively, it can also be grilled.
Ingredients
For the Roast
- One 1¾ lb. boneless beef chuck roast (about 1¼ inches thick, 9 inches long, and 5 inches wide)
- 1 Tbsp hoisin sauce (optional)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp peanut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
For the Sauce
- ¼ c chopped red onion
- ¼ c chopped fresh chives
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh sage
- 1 tsp chopped garlic
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ c extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
For the Roast
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees.
- Rub the roast on both sides with the hoisin sauce, if using, and sprinkle it with the salt.
- Heat the oil in a large ovenproof saucepan until very hot.
- Cook the roast over high heat for about 2½ minutes on each side for medium-rare. (Longer if the roast is more than 1¼ inches thick.)
- Transfer the roast to the oven and let it continue to cook and rest for at least 15 minutes (the roast can be left in the low oven for as long as 30 minutes).
For the Sauce
- Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
- Cut the roast on a diagonal into thin slices and serve with the red onion sauce.
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