Roast rump cap (culotte, also sold as picanha) with fondant potatoes and red wine sauce is a menu that looks impressive and tastes every bit as good. It is the obvious choice when you are cooking for a crowd, whether for New Year’s Eve dinner, a birthday party or a cosy evening when you want to spoil the people closest to you.
The dish is both practical and elegant. Both the beef and the potatoes are cooked in the oven, which leaves your hands free to make sure everything comes together when the food is served.
Rump cap is a classic, versatile cut that is always a hit at the table because it is juicy, tender and full of flavour.
To get a good crust, the rump cap is first browned in a pan. This step matters, because the joint is then cooked at a lower temperature so that all the elements – from meat to potatoes – can share the oven. The result is perfectly cooked rump cap with tender fondant potatoes and a red wine sauce that ties the dish together.
Serve with sautéed mushrooms and Tenderstem broccoli – or exactly the kind of sides you prefer.
This menu is a safe bet when you want to impress your guests with a combination of classic flavours and a beautiful presentation.
If you would rather serve the dish with an intense glace than the quick red wine sauce, you can use this recipe for red wine glace – click here.
Use the trimmings – avoid food waste
Wash the potatoes thoroughly, or peel them, before cutting them to shape. The offcuts can then go into a batch of oven-roasted potatoes, a soup or mashed potato. If you are not using them straight away, store the offcuts in the fridge in a pan of water with the lid on – they will easily keep for a couple of days.
That way you avoid throwing half the potato away.
Roast rump cap (culotte), fondant potatoes and red wine sauce
Ingredients
Rump cap (culotte)
- 1 rump cap (culotte), about 1.5 kg
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- Fresh thyme
- Butter for frying
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Fondant potatoes
- 6 large baking potatoes
- 150 g butter
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 300 ml vegetable stock
- Oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Red wine sauce
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 50 g butter
- 300 ml red wine
- 300 ml chicken stock
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Cornflour + water
To serve
- 400 g mixed mushrooms, sliced
- 250 g Tenderstem broccoli, cut into smaller florets
- 40 g butter
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Method
Preparation
- The red wine sauce can be made the day before and simply reheated before serving.
- Take the joint out of the fridge well ahead of time, ideally half an hour before you cook it.
- Cut the potatoes into evenly sized squares or rectangles. If the baking potatoes are very large, you can cut each one into 2 pieces.Remember to keep them in water so they do not discolour, and pat them dry before frying.
- Clean and cut the vegetables.
Rump cap (culotte)
- Melt the butter in a frying pan with a little oil, add the garlic and thyme and let them simmer gently in the butter while you trim the joint.
- Trim the underside of the joint of any sinew and silver skin, and score the fat cap on top. Season generously with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Turn up the heat so the butter foams, and sear the fat side first until it is nicely browned, then turn the joint and sear it golden on the other side.
- You can either transfer the joint to an ovenproof dish, or leave it in the pan and put the pan in the oven – it is up to you.
- Place the joint in an ovenproof dish, or leave it in the pan. Insert a meat thermometer into the joint, from the side or the top, so the probe sits in the centre, and put it in a preheated fan oven at 160°C. Cook the joint until it reaches a core temperature of 52°C – about 35 minutes, then let it rest for 15-20 minutes. If you prefer it cooked a little more, simply leave it until it hits 55-56°C – but take care not to overcook it; it should be red/pink.
The potatoes
- Melt the butter in a frying pan with a little oil, add the herbs and garlic and let it foam up well. Brown the potatoes on all sides until they have a golden surface – season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Put the potatoes in an ovenproof dish, pour over the contents of the pan together with the stock, and bake them in the oven alongside the rump cap for about 30 min. at 160°C in a fan oven.You can also leave them in the pan and add the stock there – do whatever is easiest for you.
Sides
- While the joint rests on the worktop and the potatoes finish in the oven – cook the sides.
- Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the mushrooms until golden. Push them to one side and quickly fry the small florets of Tenderstem broccoli in the same pan – they need no more than 3-4 minutes.Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Red wine sauce
- Melt the butter in a saucepan and sweat the shallot in it until soft and translucent – season generously with freshly ground pepper.
- Pour in the red wine and let it reduce by half over a fairly high heat. Add the stock and let it reduce by half again, then pass it through a fine-mesh sieve.
- Return the sauce to the hob over a medium heat and thicken it with a little cornflour mixed with a little cold water. Add only a little at a time – the sauce should be glossy and just coat a spoon – not thick.Then leave it over a low heat until it is time to serve, and adjust the seasoning with more salt, pepper or a little sugar if you feel it lacks sweetness.
Serving
- Carve the meat into slices and put 2 slices on each plate together with a potato and some vegetables. Spoon over a little red wine sauce, season with freshly ground pepper and serve straight away.
- Serve the rest of the meat, potatoes, extra vegetables and sauce on a platter/in a bowl alongside – or top up anyone who would like more.
Nutrition
Premium
Hvis man laver Pommes fondant dagen før – skal de så i ovn der og så igen på dagen eller er det først den dag de skal bruges de skal i ovn?
Kan champignon laves om formiddagen og så varmes i ovnen
Så man er fri for at stå med dem til sidst
Hilsen Joan
Hej Joan
Det kan du sagtens gøre – bare i et fad med dem og evt staniol over når de varmes:)
Warm wishes, Dianna
Meget lækkert tilbehør. Vi valgte desuden også at smørstege gulerødder i tynde stykker.
Hej Karin
Ej hvor lyder det også lækkert, tusind tak for din dejlige feedback:)
Warm wishes, Dianna
Kan man godt lave Pommes fondant dagen før os så varme dem på dagen ?
Hej Anne
Ja sagtens:) Varm dem under staniol ved ca. 180 grader til de er gennemvarme 🙂
Husk bouillon i bunden 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Det ser godt nok lækkert ud. Kommer der mon en video af tilberedningen? Dem bruger jeg ofte:-)
Tusind tak 🙂
Og yes, den er lagt på opskriften nu 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna