A Yom Tov meal, especially a regal one like Rosh Hashanah, deserves a dish fit for a king. In this recipe, a French roast is braised in red-wine with jewels of dried fruit reduced in it’s sauce. I can’t think of anything more festive or delicious for a chag in which we coronate Hashem as our king!
Rosh Hashana Roast
1 large onion
olive oil, for sauteeing
2 lb. French, Chuck, or Minute steak roast
1 1/2 cups port (or any sweet red) wine
salt and pepper, to taste
2-3 cups assorted dried fruit (apricots, dates, figs, prunes)
1/4 c honey
1/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup water
Method: Saute onions in olive oil until golden, set aside. Season the roast with salt and pepper and sear on all sides (see tip). Pour wine into pot and scrape up any bits and pieces from the seared meat. Return onions to the pot and spread around the meat. Bring wine to a boil over high heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 1-2 minutes until the alcohol evaporates. Cover the pot and cook for 1 1/2 hours over low heat. Turn over meat, add dried fruit and season with honey, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add 1/2 cup water and simmer for 30 more minutes. Remove meat from the pot, and cover with foil to keep warm. If needed, continue to simmer the dried fruit until the sauce has reduced and thickened, about 30 minutes. Slice roast against the grain and spoon sauce over meat before serving.
TIP: Searing the roast seals in the juices resulting in meat with a nice brown color and moist flavor. For a good sear, make sure the pan is nice and hot. Once the meat is browned, turn over and repeat. Hold the meat on it’s sides using tongs, so that every edge is covered.
NOTE: For a larger roast, increase cooking time (in the beginning, before you add the dried fruits) approximatley 30 minutes-1 hour per lb.
FREEZING: This roast freezes beautifully. Slice it first so that it’s easier to thaw and freeze it separately from the dried fruit.
UPDATE: 9/1/2014: While I used to simmer my roasts over a low flame, I have learned over time that gentle cooking in the oven is best. You may use an oven-safe pot and place in the oven at 350 degrees for the 1 1/2 hour cooking time. Turn over the meat, add the dried fruit and seasoning and return to the oven for 30 minutes (or more, if roast is larger than 2 lbs.). Remove the roast from the pan and simmer the sauce until thickened.
I cook meat so rarely that I never know what to do with it! This looks wonderful. I bought a silver tip roast. Do you think this recipe will work with it?
thanks Rivki. I’m no maven but to my knowledge silver tip roast (roast beef) is best roasted in the oven, first at a high temperature to brown the meat, and then on low (275-325) until just done (measuring approximately 145 on a meat thermometer).
hi can this be make with brisket?
I prefer to use other cuts of meat. Brisket lends itself well to BBQ sauces, or traditional preparations using carrots, celery, onions and aromatics.
I just made this for shabbos, it was a big hit. Thanks for the recipe! (I left out the sugar and it was still plenty sweet)
Glad to hear it Shoshana!
Delicious! My whole family enjoyed my test run of this recipe and we will be serving it first night of Rosh Hashanah. Thank you !!
Yay! So happy to hear!
Hi Chanie! I know this is an older post, but I’d like to try this for Rosh Hashanah this year. When you put the roast in the oven to cook do you also add the half cup of water with the seasonings and dried fruit or was that additional water only for when you would cook it on the stove top? Are there any other modifications you make now to the original recipe other than cooking in the oven at 350? Thanks so much!
It’s so funny how much I’ve learned about cooking meat since I wrote this post! I think you can skip the extra half cup of water since there is less of an evaporation issue in the oven. Just keep an eye on the roast and if the sauce seems a bit too thick/dry then add a bit of water. Let me know how it goes!
My entire crowd at the seudah when I served this meat was like OMG! This is divine! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that!!
It sounds delicious. If you’re making it in the oven, do you cover the roast?
Definitely!
I will try this recipe for a square cut roast today. Looks fantastic!! I have been searching for years for a recipe for potato pudding, which is different from potato kugel as potato kugel is more dry. Potato pudding is more creamy and I believe the recipe for potato pudding would have many more eggs than potato kugel. My mother’s family was from the area of Bialystok,where the recipe was originally prepared. Hope you can help me with this.
Yes, I have an idea of what you are referring to but unfortunately I don’t have a recipe for it.
Looks delicious
Can I skip out the dried fruit
I guess but I would reduce the wine to 1 cup since a lot of it gets absorbed into the fruit. Maybe just add sauteed apples instead.
Hi Chanie, it says to freeze the meat separately from the dried fruits. Do you freeze the dried fruits elsewhere? Or toss them and defrost/serve without?
Thanks!
I freeze the roast and sauce (with the fruits in it) separately. You can also freeze together. Either way works.
When making this in the oven , should i add the dry fruits only towards the end?
No, but you can just add some extra liquid because it will probably get absorbed.