2 HOURSMAINSBEEFOVERNIGHT

Sviečková na Smotane

Braised larded beef roast cooked in caramelized root vegetables, blended and passed through a chinois with cream, steamed dumplings, and cranberries.

YIELD6 Portions
PREP35 mins
COOK2.5 hrs

Ingredients

Larded Beef & Searing

  • 1 kg Beef eye of round or top round (falošná sviečková / zadné hovädzie)
  • 100 g Smoked bacon or pork back fat (slanina), cut into thick chilled batons
  • 40 g Pork lard or unsalted butter
  • 10 g Fine sea salt
  • 3 g Ground black pepper
  • 15 g Yellow or Dijon mustard

Root Vegetable Base & Aromatics

  • 250 g Carrots, peeled and diced
  • 180 g Parsnips (or parsley root), peeled and diced
  • 120 g Celeriac root, peeled and diced
  • 1 Large yellow onion, diced
  • 35 g Granulated sugar
  • 35 ml White vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 Lemon, peeled (zest strips and juice reserved)
  • 3 Dried bay leaves
  • 6 Whole allspice berries
  • 8 Whole black peppercorns
  • 4 Whole juniper berries, crushed
  • 1 L–1.2 L Hot beef or veal stock

Cream Sauce

  • 200 ml Heavy cream (36% m.f.) or crème fraîche
  • 30 g Cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • To taste: Fresh lemon juice, sugar, fine sea salt

To Serve

  • 1 loaf Sliced warm Parená Knedľa (or karlovarská knedľa)
  • Lingonberry or cranberry compote (brusnice)
  • Lemon slices & double cream

Method

  1. Lard & Sear Beef: Pierce the beef along the grain and thread bacon batons through the center. Season with salt and pepper, and rub all sides with mustard. Melt lard in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sear the meat on all sides until browned (8–10 minutes total). Transfer beef to a plate.
  2. Caramelize Root Vegetables: In the same pot, add carrots, parsnips, and celeriac. Sauté over medium heat for 8–10 minutes. Stir in sugar and cook for 2–3 minutes until caramelized. Add diced onion and cook until soft.
  3. Deglaze & Simmer: Pour in vinegar, scraping up fond from the base. Add bay leaves, allspice, peppercorns, juniper berries, lemon peel strips, and lemon juice. Return the beef and resting juices to the pot, then pour in stock until the meat is half submerged.
  4. Braise: Cover with a lid, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 2 to 2.5 hours (turning the meat halfway) until tender.
  5. Blitz & Strain: Transfer beef to a cutting board. Discard bay leaves, peppercorns, allspice, juniper berries, and lemon peel. Blitz the root vegetables and stock in a blender until smooth, then pass through a chinois or fine strainer into a clean saucepan.
  6. Finish Sauce: Set sauce over low heat (loosen with stock if too thick). Stir in cream and simmer for 3–5 minutes. Remove from heat, whisk in cold cubed butter, and adjust seasoning with lemon juice, sugar, or salt.
  7. Slice & Serve: Slice beef against the grain. Plate with sauce, steamed knedľa, a lemon slice topped with lingonberries, and a spoonful of cream.
Chef's Tip: High-speed blending and passing through a chinois extracts enough natural starch and pectin from the vegetables to bind the sauce without needing any flour.