Name: Red Wine-Orange Sauce
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces and chilled; 3 shallots, minced; 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 tablespoon sugar; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour; 3 cups beef broth; 1 1/2 cups red wine; 1/3 cup orange juice; 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce; 1 sprig fresh thyme

Why This Recipe Works

This vibrant sauce provides a nice, bright contrast to the meat and potatoes. Browning the shallots, sugar, and tomato paste in melted butter gives this sauce a deep flavor base. For the liquid, meaty beef broth is balanced with earthy red wine (we like a medium-bodied wine here), while orange juice brightens the sauce. Whisking in more butter to finish gives the sauce a velvety texture.

Before You Begin

Medium-bodied red wines, like Côtes du Rhône or Pinot Noir, are best for this sauce.

Instructions

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots, tomato paste, and sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until deep brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and flour and cook until garlic is fragrant and vegetables are well coated with flour, about 30 seconds.

Stir in broth, wine, orange juice, Worcestershire, and thyme, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook at low boil until reduced to 2 cups, about 40 minutes.

Strain sauce through fine-mesh strainer set over bowl; discard solids. Return sauce to pot and place over low heat. Whisk in remaining 4 tablespoons butter, 1 piece at a time. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

to make ahead

Strained sauce can be cooled and then refrigerated in airtight container for up to 2 days. Bring sauce to simmer before reducing heat to low and whisking in butter to finish.