Baeckeoffe — Alsatian Baker's Oven Casserole

Ingredients

• For the marinade
• 300 g beef chuck, cut into 4 cm pieces
• 300 g lamb shoulder, cut into 4 cm pieces
• 300 g pork shoulder, cut into 4 cm pieces
• 750 ml dry Riesling, Alsatian; Gewurztraminer may substitute for a more aromatic result
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 bouquet garni
• 6 juniper berries
• 6 black peppercorns
• For the terrine
• 1.5 kg waxy potatoes, peeled, sliced into 5 mm rounds; Charlotte or Ratte recommended
• 3 onions, sliced into rings
• For the dough seal
• 200 g plain flour
• 100 ml water, enough to form a stiff dough

Method

1. 1
   The evening before, combine the three meats in a deep non-reactive bowl. Add the 750 ml of Riesling, the 2 sliced onions, 2 sliced carrots, 4 garlic cloves, bouquet garni, juniper berries, and peppercorns. Turn to coat, cover, and refrigerate overnight. The marinade is ready when the meat has absorbed the wine's colour and the aromatics have softened slightly at their edges.
2. 2
   The following day, peel and slice the potatoes into 5 mm rounds and slice the 3 onions into rings. Drain the meats, reserving and straining the marinade wine. Keep the meats and the strained wine separately to one side.
3. 3
   In a 3-litre earthenware baeckeoffe terrine, layer first a bed of potato rounds and onion rings to cover the base entirely. Arrange the drained three meats evenly over this layer. Cover the meats with the remaining potatoes and onions, finishing with a final layer of potato rounds. Pour the strained marinade wine over the assembly until the liquid almost covers the top layer. The potatoes at the surface should be just visible above the wine.
4. 4
   This is where the dish lives or dies. Mix the flour and water into a stiff, pliable dough and roll it into a long rope. Press the rope firmly around the rim of the terrine where the lid meets the base, forming a continuous airtight gasket. Press the lid down onto the rope, sealing the terrine completely. No gap should be visible along the seam; an imperfect seal will allow steam to escape and the layers will dry.
5. 5
   Place the sealed terrine in an oven set to 160 °C and bake undisturbed for 3 to 3.5 hours. Do not open the terrine during baking. The dough seal will have set hard and turned pale golden; the terrine will emit a low, wine-scented fragrance from the oven.
6. 6
   Bring the sealed terrine to the table. Break the hardened dough seal away at the rim — a rush of wine-scented steam will escape. Lift the lid to reveal potatoes that have absorbed the meat juices, three meats of equal tenderness, and onions that have melted into a winey sauce. Serve directly from the terrine, accompanied by a simple green salad.