Eye of Round Braised in Beer with Baby Potatoes
A Sunday pot roast: lean beef turned in flour, browned all over and then braised for an hour in lager with plenty of onion. Alongside it, baby potatoes fried crisp in butter.
The flour before browning does two things at once: it gives the meat a more even crust, and it thickens the sauce afterwards. Which is why the pot does not get washed between one step and the next — what sticks to the bottom is half the recipe.
At the butcher's: the cut is called peceto in Argentina; ask for eye of round (US) or silverside / eye round (UK). Served cold with olive sauce, the same cut is the glazed eye of round.
Ingredients
- 1 eye of round beef joint, 1.5 kg
- 4 tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour), for dusting
- 500 g onions, chopped
- 200 ml lager
- 2 tbsp cornstarch (cornflour)
- 100 ml pouring cream
- Olive oil, as needed, for browning
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 600 g baby potatoes, to serve
- Butter, as needed, for the potatoes
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme
Method
- 1
Browning: season the whole joint. Turn it in the flour, covering the whole surface, and brown it in a large pot with very hot olive oil until it has colour all over. Aim for an even crust: that is flavour, and the flour that clings to it is what thickens the sauce later.
- 2
Base and deglazing: add the chopped onion to the same pot. When it is golden and translucent, pour in the 200 ml of lager and add a pinch of salt. Scrape the base of the pot well to recover the flavour from the browning.
- 3
Slow cooking: turn the heat to its lowest and cook the beef, covered, for 45 minutes. Then uncover and cook for another 15 minutes so the liquid starts to reduce.
- 4
The velvet sauce: take the beef out so you can carve it comfortably. In a cup, dissolve the 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in the cold cream and pour this into the cooking liquid left in the pot. Stir constantly over low heat and let it reduce for a few minutes. Blend the sauce with a stick blender if you prefer it perfectly smooth.
- 5
The potatoes: wash the baby potatoes well and halve them, skins on. Boil them in plenty of salted water until tender but firm.
- 6
Pat the cooked potatoes dry with a clean cloth. In a pan, fry them in melted butter with a thread of oil until a golden crust forms.
- 7
Carve the beef into thin slices and lay them on a platter. Scatter the potatoes with chopped fresh thyme and set them alongside. Pour the hot beer sauce over the meat and serve.