About this Dish
Czech Republic's most celebrated dish — beef sirloin braised in a root vegetable and cream sauce, served with bread dumplings (knedliky), whipped cream, cranberry sauce and a slice of lemon. The combination of the rich cream sauce, sweet cranberry and sour lemon is characteristic of Czech cuisine's love of contrasting flavours. Every Czech grandmother's svickova is considered superior to all others.
IngredientsServes 4
🥩Beef sirloin or topside, 1.2kg tied with string
🥕Carrots, 3 medium, roughly chopped
🧅Yellow onions, 2 large, roughly chopped
🫚Celeriac, 150g, roughly chopped
🧈Butter, 60g
🥓Smoked bacon lardons, 100g
🫙Double cream, 250ml
🌿Bay leaves, 4, plus 8 whole black peppercorns and 4 allspice berries
🍋Lemon, 1, half juiced for sauce, half sliced thinly for serving
🫐Cranberry sauce or cranberry jam, 200g jar, for serving
Method
1
The day before, stud the beef all over with small cuts and push in pieces of smoked bacon. Rub the meat generously with salt and pepper, then refrigerate overnight — this is the Czech grandmother's essential first step and not to be skipped.2
Preheat your oven to 160°C. Melt the butter in a large heavy casserole dish over high heat and brown the beef on all sides until deeply golden, about 8 minutes. Remove the meat, then fry the onions, carrots and celeriac in the same pot until softened and lightly coloured.3
Nestle the beef back on top of the vegetables and add the bay leaves, peppercorns and allspice. Pour in just enough water or beef stock to reach halfway up the meat, about 300ml. Cover tightly and braise in the oven for 2.5 to 3 hours, turning the meat once halfway through, until very tender.4
Remove the beef and rest it under foil. Discard the bay leaves and blend the braising vegetables and all their juices until completely smooth — use a stick blender right in the pot. Return the sauce to a gentle simmer and stir in the double cream and lemon juice, seasoning generously with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar to balance the flavour.5
Slice the beef thickly and return it to the sauce, warming through gently for 10 minutes so it absorbs all those flavours. The sauce should be velvety and pourable — thin with a splash of water if needed.6
Serve two or three slices of beef on a plate with sliced bread dumplings, ladle the cream sauce generously over everything, then top with a dollop of whipped cream, a good spoonful of cranberry sauce and a thin slice of lemon. Eat immediately and accept all compliments.7
Slice the beef thickly and return it to the warm sauce. Serve with bread dumplings (knedlíky), a generous spoonful of cranberry sauce, a dollop of whipped cream and a slice of fresh lemon on the side.User Reviews
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