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rognons de veau a la moutarde

Beef, veal, steak & offal

Rognons de Veau à la Moutarde

By Michel Dumas

Veal kidneys meet a smooth Dijon cream sauce, with duck-fat-roasted sweet potato and green beans alongside. The mustard gives the rich sauce a savoury bite, while parsley brings a fresh finish. Michel Dumas cooks the kidneys briefly, drains them and returns them to the pan only when the sauce is ready. It is a generous bistro plate, with tender pieces of kidney and plenty of sauce for the vegetables.

Prep
25 min
Cook
27 min
Total
52 min
Serves3
Nutrition
Jump to recipe ↓Chef Dumas ↗

Ingredients

Kidneys and sauce

Accompaniments

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 175°C /350°F.
  2. Peel and cut the sweet potato into thick slices or wedges. Heat 15–30 g duck fat in a pan, add the sweet potato, season and coat well. Transfer to the oven for 20–25 minutes, turning once, until tender.
  3. Cook the green beans in boiling salted water for about 7 minutes. Drain and reserve.
  4. Open the kidneys with a small knife. Remove the central white fat, nerves and hard parts. Cut into bite-sized pieces and pat dry.
  5. Heat 15 g duck fat in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the kidneys in one layer, season and sear quickly until lightly coloured. As soon as they begin to release juice, lift them into a fine sieve and discard the liquid.
  6. In the same pan, soften the optional shallot briefly. Add the veal stock, scrape up the browned juices and reduce slightly.
  7. Add the Dijon mustard and cream. Reduce gently until the sauce coats a spoon. Adjust salt, pepper and optional extra mustard as needed.
  8. Reduce the heat to minimum or take the pan off the heat. Return the drained kidneys and coat gently. Do not boil.
  9. Serve with the roasted sweet potato, green beans and chopped parsley.

Equipment

Ovenproof pan; Large frying pan; Saucepan; Small knife; Fine sieve

Notes

  • Trimming: remove the white central fat, nerves and hard membranes carefully. Cut medium, bite-sized pieces rather than very small ones, which cook too quickly. Pat them thoroughly dry. No soaking is needed in this version.
  • Searing and draining: cook in a single layer. As soon as the kidneys release liquid, lift them into a fine sieve and discard the liquid. Return them only to the finished sauce, over minimum heat or off the heat, and do not boil.
  • Fat and stock: butter with a little neutral oil can replace duck fat. Reduced beef stock can replace brown veal stock; avoid very salty stock because reduction concentrates the seasoning.
  • Cream and mustard: 35% cream gives the intended coating texture. Lighter cream makes a thinner, less stable sauce. If adding a little wholegrain mustard, keep Dijon as the base for a smooth sauce. Taste before adding the optional extra mustard.
  • Making ahead: prepare the stock, mustard and cream sauce in advance and reheat it gently. Cook and add the kidneys only at the finish.
  • Accompaniments: mash, Lyonnaise potatoes, pommes boulangères, sautéed Parisian potatoes or fries can replace the sweet potato. Keep the green beans plain, or warm them with a small knob of butter or a little duck fat.
  • Choice of kidneys: this recipe is designed for the more delicate veal kidneys. Beef kidneys have a stronger flavour and need a different preparation.
  • Written recipe and video: follow the written quantities and draining instructions here. Dumas has refined the sauce proportions and clarified the cooking since the earlier video.

How to

Watch on YouTube ↗

Photos

8 photos
Rognons de veau à la moutardeStep 4Trimming and cutting the kidneysRognons de veau à la moutardeStep 5Adding kidneys to the hot panRognons de veau à la moutardeStep 5Searing the kidneys quicklyRognons de veau à la moutardeStep 6Stock for the mustard sauceRognons de veau à la moutardeStep 7Cream going into the sauceRognons de veau à la moutardeStep 8Returning the kidneys to the sauceRognons de veau à la moutardeServingKidneys, sweet potato and green beansRognons de veau à la moutardeServingThe finished kidney plate

Rognons de Veau à la Moutarde

Recipe photos

About this dish

Rognons à la moutarde have an established place in French bistro cooking. Alain Ducasse includes sautéed veal kidneys with mustard sauce in Grand Livre de Cuisine Bistrot, and Larousse pairs them with cream and mustard in its domestic cooking repertoire.

Michel Dumas builds his version around the kidneys' delicacy. Careful trimming removes the white central fat and hard membranes; a brief sear gives colour, then draining keeps the released liquid from thinning or overpowering the sauce. The browned pan juices remain to enrich the veal stock, Dijon and cream.

The kidneys go back only at the finish, over very low heat or off the heat, so they warm through without a long simmer. Dumas makes this a complete meal with sweet potato roasted in duck fat and simply cooked green beans. Their sweetness and freshness give the creamy mustard sauce something to work against.

Recipe and cooking notes adapted from Chef Dumas.