Classic Christmas roast with gravy

Served with red cabbage & boiled potatoes

A succulent veal roast with a rich red wine sauce is simply a must during the Christmas season. This recipe shows: A festive roast mainly needs time – it's not rocket science.

While the roast slowly braises, there’s enough time for an appetizer, dessert, or simply relaxed hours with the family.

Ingredients (4–6 servings)

• 1.5 kg veal roast (shoulder)

• ½ bunch soup greens

• 2 carrots

• 1 bell pepper

• 1 onion

• 400 ml dry red wine

• 200 ml veal stock

• 50 g clarified butter

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 tsp thyme

• 1 pinch basil

• 1 tsp paprika powder (instead of ready-made spice mix)

• Salt & pepper

Preparation

1. Sear the meat

Pat the veal roast dry and generously salt it.

Heat the clarified butter strongly in a Dutch Oven or roaster.
Sear the meat vigorously on all sides until a nice brown crust forms.

Remove and set aside.

2. Roasting base & reduction

Dice the vegetables roughly.

Roast them in the roaster until everything is well browned.

Deglaze with a third of the red wine and let it reduce almost completely.
Repeat this step a total of 2–3 times – this creates an intense base.

3. Braising

Add bay leaves, thyme, paprika powder, and pepper.

Place the roast back on the vegetables.
Pour in the veal stock – the liquid should reach about 1/3 of the meat's height.

Slowly braise at 130–140 °C (oven or indirect grill) for 3.5–4.5 hours.

Baste with sauce every 45–60 minutes.

Core temperature as a guide:

• 70–75 °C → juicy

• 75–78 °C → well-done

4. Rest & finish the sauce

Remove the roast and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Strain the sauce through a sieve or blend finely.
If necessary, reduce it a bit.

Season with salt, pepper, and possibly a small knob of cold butter.

Serving

Slice the roast.
Nappe with sauce.

Classically served with:
✔ Red cabbage
✔ Boiled potatoes
✔ Potato dumplings

💡Tip

• The next day, the roast tastes almost even better
• If you like it richer: roast 1 tsp of tomato paste with it
• Perfect for preparing for Christmas Eve

Many thanks to 715_bbq for the inspiration and photos!