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Randegg's king of sauces

"The most important ingredient is time", reveals Karl J. Graf, "You can't roast, simmer or reduce anything for less than twelve hours!"
His guests lick their tongues at his gravy - and order more. "As if there were infinity", Charly Graf sometimes wonders, "if they knew the work behind it." This is the reason why really tasty sauces are only available in restaurants, like the "Council Cooks".

At least every two weeks, the head chef at the "Auberge Harlekin", Karl J. Graf, takes on the task. As early as nine o'clock in the morning he is roasting veal bones and root vegetables. In addition, he roasts pure pieces of meat. Ends and trimmings left over from fillets, chops or roasts. Then he opens a good, strong red wine and uses it to extinguish the stew. "That gives the savory flavor and a dark color." This is what his gravy is known for. "Better than the meat itself," say some guests. Charly Graf counters with humor: "It's also more expensive," then he gets serious: "If you add the time anyway."

Graf gently simmers the roast for twelve hours. among other things, the basis for his legendary dark beer sauce. The fillet skewer is a hit, for which he uses the best Irish ox fillet. The meat is of a special quality, the oxen are outside all year round. But Graf smiles: "Most of the guests keep ordering the skewer. But when I ask why, they often answer because of the beer sauce!"

To do this, after hours of simmering, he first has to press the gravy from the veal bones and root vegetables through a pointed sieve. Then it is further reduced and boiled down again. In the end, Graf keeps just 5 liters of roast stock from 40 liters of roast juice. But for his fabulous beer sauce, this is the basis. Now he also caramelizes the dark beer, seasons it with Dijon mustard and caraway. Then it simmers again and reduces. "The sauce has to be creamy," he says and resists, "without Melschwitz or Mondamin. Always reduce it nicely!"

Graf also likes to serve a red wine and shallot sauce with the ox fillet. "For that, too, I need my roast stock as a basis." He uses it to deglaze caramelized red wine, add chopped shallots and season with garlic and thyme. "And a shot of port to taste." Graf's eyes begin to shine. "This is how cooking is fun!", he says, "I wouldn't want to work any other way - and certainly not to serve my guests."

Graf's personal tip is his morel cream sauce. In winter with dried mushrooms, but in summer with fresh morels. "Then I can understand the guests ordering more sauce," the chef shows understanding for his gourmets. "And then there's our homemade spaetzle or the creamy potato gratin," he laughs, "you don't have to be Swabian...".

In the shadow of the Randegger sparkling water bottling plant, the lone warrior has been cooking at the best level for years: lemongrass soup with prawns, veal steak with a morel cream sauce or pink braised saddle of venison are on the menu at Harlekin. The range is characterized by French specialties such as the classic Chateaubriand "Bonne Auberge" with Merlot port wine jus or a supposedly simple cordon bleu from veal with pommes dauphins. The man advertises not only with his culinary skills, but also with culture and art. In general, whoever enters the restaurant soon finds out that they have landed in a very special gem.