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Beef Flatladen – Tastes Like Rouladen Made Just Like Oma

Flatladen, you've never heard of it, right? Of course not! That's my son's name for rouladen that are flat! It tastes just like rouladen without all the work and expense. It's sort of like a wonderful beef stew that tastes like rouladen with that amazing gravy. 

Ingredients:

• 2 pound (908 grams) beef bottom round, chuck, or cut of your choice
• 6 slices lean bacon
• 2 tablespoons (28 grams) butter, plus more if needed
• 1 onion, cut into chunks
• 4 garlic dill pickles, sliced
• 2 - 3 tablespoons (16 - 24 grams) cornstarch
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Cut the meat into pieces, about 2 to 3 inches square (or smaller) and about ¾-inch thick.
2. Heat the butter in a large frying pan. Brown the meat well on all sides. Do not crowd the meat, but do it in several batches. Add extra butter, if needed.
3. Remove the last batch of meat from the frying pan. Add the bacon slices and onion chunks to the pan and brown briefly. Slowly add about 1 cup (240 milliliters) of hot water and stir to loosen the browned bits at the bottom of the pan.
4. Return the meat and any meat juices to the frying pan. Add the pickle slices and enough water to almost cover the meat. Bring to a simmer and cover.
5. Simmer for 1 to 2 hours (this will depend on how tender the cut of beef is).
6. Remove the bacon and discard it (it will be soft and unpleasant to eat).
7. To thicken the gravy, combine the cornstarch in a little cold water. Stir just enough into the cooking liquid to thicken.
8. Season the gravy with salt and pepper, and serve.

Notes/Hints:

• Fry bacon in butter first, remove, and then brown meat. You can use the crisp bacon to add to mashed potatoes or a salad.
  
• The size of your meat pieces can be larger or smaller. I do try to stay at about ¾ to 1 inch thick. 
• If you want this to be just meat and gravy, remove cooked meat, strain gravy to remove onions and pickles. Thicken gravy. We like the onion and pickle pieces in our gravy, so I leave them in.
  
• Since we love mushrooms, I add quartered mushrooms for last ½ hour of cooking time.
  
• You can turn this into the best beef stew by just adding cut-up potatoes, carrots, and celery to the simmering meat after the first hour. Delicious!
  
• Want to use a slow cooker? Follow all the steps, but once you’re at Step 4, place all of the ingredients into a slow cooker and set it to LOW. It’ll take about 6 to 8 hours. Turn it to high right toward the end when you stir in the cornstarch mixture to thicken the gravy.
  
• This recipe usually makes lots of delicious gravy. Freeze it for later use, or add it to other recipes as needed.
• If you want to serve a roast beef that tastes like rouladen, then follow this easy slow cooker recipe.
• Take a look at What to Serve with Rouladen. Those sides would work perfectly with Flatladen!

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Updated on December 29, 2025