Platter of boiled beef with potatoes, carrots, leeks and parsley, with bowls of cornichons, tomato sauce and mustard sauce beside it. — Photo: Muesse · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

French · Lunch · Dinner

Pot-au-feu

Name: Pot-au-feu
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 190 min
Total time: 220 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1.2 kg lean beef shank, cut into 3-4 large pieces; 12 cups (3 litres) cold water; 1 large, removed and discarded after cooking onion, peeled and halved; 4, discarded with the onion whole cloves; 3 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed; 2, removed and discarded bay leaves; 4 sprigs, removed and discarded fresh thyme; 1 small bunch, removed and discarded fresh parsley stalks and leaves; 1 tsp black peppercorns; 1 tsp salt; 6 medium carrots, peeled and halved; 3 medium leeks, white and light green parts, halved lengthwise and tied; 3 medium turnips, peeled and quartered; 2 stalks celery, cut into chunks; 6 small small waxy potatoes, peeled; 3 tbsp Dijon mustard, to serve; 12 cornichons, to serve

By BerryFit Kitchen · Nutrition checked with USDA data · Updated Oct 20, 2026 · How we make recipes

A comforting French classic of lean beef gently simmered with carrots, leeks and turnips until meltingly tender, served in its own clear, fragrant broth. Sharp Dijon mustard and crunchy cornichons on the side cut through the richness.

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 190 min
Total: 220 min
Serves: 6

Medium
Dairy Free
High protein

20%

Per serving405kcal20% of a 2,000 kcal day

48gProtein

34gCarbs

9gFat

6gFiber

Calories come from: Carbs 33% · Fat 19% · Protein 48%

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Ingredients

For 6 servings

1.2 kglean beef shank, cut into 3-4 large pieces
12 cups (3 litres)3,000 gcold water
1 large, removed and discarded after cooking150 gonion, peeled and halved (optional)
4, discarded with the onionwhole cloves (optional)
3 cloves9 ggarlic, peeled and lightly crushed
2, removed and discardedbay leaves (optional)
4 sprigs, removed and discardedfresh thyme (optional)
1 small bunch, removed and discarded10 gfresh parsley stalks and leaves (optional)
1 tspblack peppercorns
1 tsp6 gsalt
6 medium360 gcarrots, peeled and halved
3 medium270 gleeks, white and light green parts, halved lengthwise and tied
3 medium360 gturnips, peeled and quartered
2 stalks80 gcelery, cut into chunks
6 small600 gsmall waxy potatoes, peeled
3 tbsp45 gDijon mustard, to serve
12100 gcornichons, to serve (optional)

Steps

1
Trim any visible fat from the beef.
2
Put the beef in a large stockpot and cover with the cold water.
3
Bring slowly to a boil over medium heat, about 15 minutes, skimming off the grey foam as it rises.
4
Press the cloves into the onion halves.
5
Tie the bay leaves, thyme and parsley together with kitchen string to make a bouquet garni.
6
Add the onion, garlic, bouquet garni, peppercorns and salt to the pot.
7
Lower the heat so the broth barely trembles, partly cover and simmer for 2 hours 15 minutes, skimming now and then.
8
Add the carrots, leeks, turnips and celery and simmer for 40 minutes more, until the vegetables are tender and the beef yields easily to a fork.
9
Meanwhile, ladle about 1 litre of the broth into a separate saucepan, add the potatoes and simmer for 20-25 minutes until tender, then return this broth to the main pot.
10
Lift out and discard the bouquet garni and the clove-studded onion, and skim any fat from the surface of the broth.
11
Slice the beef and arrange it in warm shallow bowls with the vegetables and potatoes.
12
Ladle hot broth over each bowl and serve with Dijon mustard, and cornichons if you like, on the side.

Swaps, storage and make-ahead

Swaps

Swap the turnips for parsnips or celeriac if turnips are hard to find.
Use beef chuck or brisket instead of shank if your butcher doesn't have shank; trim visible fat as before.
Add small waxy potatoes directly to the main pot for the last 25 minutes instead of using a separate saucepan, for fewer dishes.
Serve with grainy mustard or horseradish instead of Dijon for a different sharp side.

Storage

Refrigerate leftover beef and vegetables in their broth within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot. The broth and beef freeze well for up to 3 months, but the potatoes and vegetables turn mushy, so eat those from the fridge rather than freezing them.

Make ahead

Cook the beef in its broth a day ahead, chill overnight and lift off the set fat, then reheat gently and cook the vegetables and potatoes fresh just before serving.

Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.

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Allergens and nutrition

Contains: CeleryMustardSulphites

Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.

Full nutrition

	Per serving (989 g)	Per 100 g
Calories	405 kcal	41 kcal
Protein	47.8 g	4.8 g
Carbohydrates	33.5 g	3.4 g
of which sugars	8.4 g	0.8 g
Fiber	5.9 g	0.6 g
Fat	8.5 g	0.9 g
of which saturated	2.7 g	0.3 g
Sodium	736 mg	74 mg

Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.