An Argentine pot roast — eye of round stuffed with peppers, hard-boiled eggs, and chorizo, then braised slow in red wine. A Sunday-lunch dish from the Pampas, sliced thin to show the spiral of stuffing.
Serves 6Prep 30 minCook 2 hr 30 min
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Ingredients
- 1 tortuguita (eye of round), 1.2 to 1.5 kg, butterflied
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 red pepper, roasted, peeled, cut in strips
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, halved lengthways
- 100 g chorizo, sliced into batons
- 2 carrots, halved lengthways
- —
- For the braise:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 400 g tin tomatoes, crushed
- 300 ml red wine (Malbec)
- 300 ml beef stock
- 1 bay leaf
Method
- 1Lay the butterflied tortuguita flat. Season with salt and pepper.
- 2Layer the pepper strips, egg halves, chorizo, and carrots down the centre. Roll into a tight log and tie with butcher's twine at 4 cm intervals.
- 3Heat the oil in a heavy Dutch oven over high heat. Brown the rolled meat on all sides, about 8 minutes.
- 4Add the onion and garlic to the pot; cook 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, wine, stock, and bay.
- 5Bring to a simmer, cover, and braise on low heat (or in a 160 °C / 320 °F oven) for 2 to 2.5 hours, turning every 45 minutes.
- 6Lift the meat onto a board, tent with foil, and rest 15 minutes. Reduce the sauce on the stovetop until thick.
- 7Snip the strings, slice the meat into 1 cm rounds — each slice should show the swirl of stuffing. Serve with the sauce, mashed potatoes, and a glass of Malbec.
Chef's tip
Get your butcher to butterfly the tortuguita — opening up an eye of round into a flat sheet without tearing it is hard the first time.