Patricia Wells' Alsatian Mixed-meat Stew

This recipe is posted by request. The recipe is called "baeckeofe", which translates as "baker's oven". On Mondays, French Alsatian housewives did the laundry, which left little time to cook. They prepared this stew ahead of time, then in the morning dropped it off to the local baker to cook in his/her ovens. The casserole is traditionally covered with a crust to seal it (like the Greek Kleftiko), but this is an easier and just as delicious version. Prep time includes marinating.

• Ready In: 4 hrs 27 mins
• Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• For the meat and marinade

• 1  lb  boneless beef stew meat, cubed
• 1  lb lamb shoulder, boned and cubed
• 1  lb  pork shoulder, trimmed and cubed
• 750  ml riesling wine
• 4  carrots, sliced
• 2  medium onions, thinly sliced
• 3  cloves garlic
• 2  bay leaves
• 2  tablespoons dried thyme
•  salt

• For the vegetables

• 4  lbs  red potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1  lb onion, thinly sliced
• 3  leeks, trimmed,rinsed and sliced
•  salt and pepper

Directions

1. A day ahead, in a plastic zipper bag or non-reactive covered bowl, marinate the meats with the marinade ingredients overnight.
2. The next day, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
3. In a large casserole dish, scatter about 1/3 of the potatoes, onions and leeks over the bottom the dish.
4. Drain meat, reserving marinade and seasoning; place half of this meat over the vegetables in the casserole and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Repeat another layer of vegetables, then the rest of the meat; season again and top meat with the remaining vegetables.
6. Pour marinade and seasonings over all.
7. Cover casserole tightly and bake until meat is very tender, about 3 hours.
8. When done, spoon off excess fat and serve immediately (and don't forget to remove the bay leaves!).