Nov 12, 2007

Roasted Veal Breast with Shallot-Caper Stuffing

Veal breast is akin to beef brisket, but while a brisket must be braised to become tender, roasting a veal breast (which comes from a younger animal) renders it juicy and flavorful. A boneless veal breast is a long and floppy cut, so it's best to order it "rolled and tied"—this way all you have to do is unroll it to stuff it, and roll it back up the way the butcher did it.

Credit: André Baranowski

3⁄4 cup dried currants
2⁄3 cup madeira
6 tbsp. butter
1 1⁄2 tbsp. finely chopped
   fresh thyme leaves
3 large shallots, finely chopped
3⁄4 cup dried breadcrumbs
1⁄4 cup capers, drained and
   coarsely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground
   black pepper, to taste
1 trimmed boneless veal breast (about 4 lbs.)
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup Beef Stock

1. Heat oven to 300°. Put currants and half of the madeira into a medium bowl and set aside to let soften for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 4 tbsp. of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add thyme and shallots and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer shallot mixture to bowl of currants; add breadcrumbs, capers, and salt and pepper. Stir well. Set the shallot-caper stuffing aside.

2. Lay veal breast flat on a cutting board and season all over with salt and pepper. Top with the stuffing; spread out evenly, leaving a 1" border around the edges. Roll up veal breast and tie snuggly with butcher's twine down the length of the roast at 1 1⁄2" intervals.

3. Heat remaining butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add veal and cook, turning occasionally, until deep golden brown all over, 10–12 minutes; transfer veal to a small roasting pan. Add half of the wine to skillet and cook, scraping up any browned bits, about 1 minute; pour over veal. Roast, basting every 20 minutes or so with any pan juices, until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the roast registers 165°, about 1 3⁄4 hours.

4. Transfer roast to a large platter, cover with foil and set aside. Set roasting pan over medium-high heat on stove. Add beef stock and cook, scraping up any browned bits, for 2 minutes. Transfer pan juices to a small saucepan; skim off and discard any fat. Add remaining madeira and wine and cook over medium heat until just thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; keep warm.

5. For easy carving, leave butcher's twine on and cut veal into thick slices. Remove twine and serve with pan juices.

SERVES 6