Layered Casserole with Beef, Cabbage and Potato

by Charlie McCarthy, Sr.

main beef winter

Cookware

food processor
(minimum 5 quart) baking dish

Ingredients

12 sage leaves
1/4 cups rosemary
8 cloves garlic
2/3 cups olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 lbs potato slices
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
4 lbs beef shoulder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 head shredded cabbage
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
2 cups white wine
5 tbsp butter
1 lbs shredded fontina cheese

Instructions

Step 1

You will need a food processor; a large baking dish or roasting pan, 5-quart capacity, 10 by 15 inches or larger.

Step 2

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven, and heat to 425F.

Step 3

Using a food processor, mince the sage leaves, rosemary, garlic, 1/3 cup of the olive oil, and a teaspoon of the salt into a fine-textured pestata.

Step 4

Put the 1/2-inch thick potato slices in a large bowl; salt, olive oil, and 1 tablespoon of the pestata. Toss well to coat the slices with the seasoning.

Step 5

With a sharp knife, slice the beef shoulder across the grain into 2-inch thick slices - if using a top-blade roast, slice it crosswise. As you did with the potatoes, put the meat slices in a bowl and toss them with seasonings until well coated, using salt, olive oil, and 2 tablespoons of the pestata.

Step 6

Brush the roasting pan with olive oil and butter. Arrange half of the potato slices in a single layer on the pan bottom, spread half the shredded cabbage evenly over the potatoes, and season with salt. Distribute all the beef slices, in a single layer, over the cabbage. (The pan should be about half full, press down on the beef if it looks like you need more room for the rest of the vegetables.)

Step 7

Dot the top of the beef with small mounds of butter. Lay the remaining potato slices on top of the beef slices, spread the rest of the cabbage evenly over the slices, and season with salt. Stir all of the remaining pestata into the white wine, and pour the wine all over the cabbage shreds. Finally, dot the top with the rest of the butter.

Step 8

Tent the (minimum 5 quart) baking dish with a sheet of aluminum foil, arching it above the food and pressing it against the sides of the pan. Set the dish in the oven, and bake 2 hours, until the meat and vegetables are all very tender and almost all of the liquid has been absorbed.

Step 9

Remove the foil, and sprinkle the shredded fontina cheese over the top of the potatoes and cabbage (which will have sunk down in the pan). Bake another 15-20 minutes, until the fontina has melted, bubbled and browned into a crusty topping.

Step 10

Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes. Set the roasting pan on a trivet at the table, and serve family- style, spooned onto dinner plates.