Grillades and Grits

Ingredients

• For the grillades
• 800 g beef or veal round, cut into rounds 1 cm thick, pounded to 5 mm or less
• 60 ml neutral oil or lard, for searing
• For the gravy
• 45 g plain flour
• 45 g butter or lard, for the roux
• 1 medium white onion, finely diced
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced
• 1 medium green bell pepper, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 400 g crushed tomatoes
• 500 ml beef or veal stock
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• For the stone-ground grits
• 240 g stone-ground grits, not quick-cook or instant
• 1 litre water
• 250 ml whole milk or single cream
• 60 g unsalted butter, cubed, added at finish
• 1 tsp salt
• To serve
• hot sauce, on the table
• French bread, for the gravy

Method

1. 1
   Pound each round of beef or veal to 5 mm or less between two sheets of plastic film. Season on both surfaces with salt. Heat a cast-iron pot over high heat until smoking. Add oil in batches and brown the rounds in a single layer, 2–3 minutes per side, until a deep Maillard crust forms on both surfaces. Do not crowd the pot; steaming is failure. Remove each batch and reserve. The fond that coats the base of the pot is the first layer of the gravy.
2. 2
   Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter or lard to the fond in the pot. When melted, add the flour and stir constantly to build a roux. Cook the roux, stirring without pause, until it reaches a medium (peanut butter) colour and smells nutty. This is where the dish lives or dies: a roux that scorches turns bitter and cannot be recovered; a roux that is too pale will not carry the gravy's body or depth.
3. 3
   Add the trinity — onion, celery, green bell pepper — directly into the roux and stir to coat. Cook until the vegetables are softened and the onion is translucent, 5–7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one further minute until fragrant.
4. 4
   Add the crushed tomatoes, stock, cayenne, thyme, and bay leaves. Stir to lift any remaining fond from the base of the pot. Bring to a simmer. The gravy should be thick enough at this stage to coat the back of a spoon; if it runs freely, reduce it before proceeding.
5. 5
   Return the seared rounds to the pot, submerging them in the gravy. Cover the pot and braise over low heat for 60–90 minutes, until the meat yields completely to a fork with no resistance. Check the seasoning and adjust salt and cayenne. If the gravy has thinned during the braise, remove the meat, reduce the gravy over medium heat until it coats a spoon heavily, then return the meat.
6. 6
   While the braise finishes, bring the water and milk or cream to a gentle simmer in a heavy saucepan with salt. Whisk in the stone-ground grits in a slow, steady stream. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon, for a minimum of 30–40 minutes. The grits are done when individual particles are tender but still distinct — not a uniform paste — and the spoon leaves a clean furrow that closes slowly.
7. 7
   Remove the grits from the heat and stir in the cubed butter until fully absorbed and the surface is glossy. Spread the buttered grits across each warmed plate, leaving the white of the grits visible at the edges. Ladle the grillades and their gravy over the centre. The plate should be dark red from the gravy with white grits visible at the perimeter. Serve immediately with hot sauce and French bread on the side.