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Meat, Northern, Eastern and Western France

Picardy caghuse with oven roasted potatoes

Picardy caghuse is a pork shin roasted on a bed of vinegar onions, served with oven roasted potatoes, for 4 people. It takes 2 hours 45 minutes, mostly hands off, rates as easy, and costs €3.40 per serving. The key to success is the slow cooking that melts the onions and makes the meat tender.

Tonight, a pork shin slowly roasting on a bed of vinegar onions, real Picardy comfort food.

Picardy caghuse with oven roasted potatoes
Total time
2 h 45
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€3.40
Calories per person
620 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall

Caghuse is the kind of dish that fills the whole house with smell on a winter Sunday. The pork shin cooks low and slow over a bed of onions splashed with vinegar and white wine, until the meat practically falls apart on its own. The vinegar's sharpness cuts through the richness of the pork, and the onions melt down until they're almost jammy.

It's a recipe from Picardy, simple and inexpensive, built to feed a family without keeping you in the kitchen all day. The oven does most of the work while you get on with other things, and the potatoes join the dish partway through to brown in the pork drippings. Perfect for a quiet Sunday or a weeknight dinner you prep ahead of time.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Pork shin 1.4 kg

Fruits and vegetables

  • Onion 5
  • Garlic 3 cloves
  • Thyme 3 sprigs
  • Potatoes 1 kg

Pantry

  • Wine vinegaroften in the pantry 4 tbsp
  • Dry white wineoften in the pantry 20 cl
  • Bay leafoften in the pantry 2
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 3 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

The step by step recipe

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and thinly slice the onions.

    Slice them evenly so they cook at the same rate.

  2. Spread the onions in a large baking dish with the garlic, thyme and bay leaf, then drizzle with vinegar and wine.

    The vinegar adds the acidity that cuts through the richness of the pork.

  3. Place the salted and peppered shin on top of the onions, cover with foil and put in the oven. 2 h

    Add a splash of water if the onions start to stick.

  4. Add the oiled potato wedges around the shin, remove the foil and continue cooking. 45 min

    Turn the potatoes once so they brown on all sides.

  5. Serve the sliced shin with the soft onions and the oven potatoes.

    Let the shin rest for ten minutes, the meat turns out more tender.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick a shin with good marbling, the fat that slowly renders is what keeps the meat moist after two hours in the oven.
  • Slice the onions to an even thickness so they cook uniformly and don't scorch at the edges of the dish.
  • If you're serving it the next day, reheat the shin covered over low heat so it doesn't dry out.

The variations

  • Swap the white wine for dry hard cider for a milder version typical of northern France.
  • For a meat free version, replace the shin with a large chunk of roasted pumpkin set on the same bed of onions, the cooking time will be shorter.
  • To save time, ask your butcher to cut the shin into thick slices, cutting the cooking time down to about an hour.

What to serve it with

  • A sharply dressed green salad
  • Crusty country bread for the juices
  • A glass of dry hard cider

Storage

The shin and onions keep for 3 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. You can freeze the meat and onions separately from the potatoes for up to 2 months. Reheat gently in a pan or covered in the oven to keep it moist.

Questions about this dish

Can you make caghuse ahead of time?

Yes, it's actually better the next day once the flavors have had time to meld. Make it the day before and reheat gently covered before serving.

Can you use a different cut instead of pork shin?

Pork shoulder or a blade roast work well, as long as you keep the cooking low and slow. Cooking time may vary slightly depending on the thickness of the cut.

Why add vinegar during cooking?

The vinegar brings acidity that balances the richness of the pork and deeply flavors the onions. It's the signature touch of Picardy caghuse.

Can you cook the potatoes from the start?

No, they'd turn too soft after two hours of cooking. It's better to add them for the last part of cooking so they brown without falling apart.

How long does it take to make a Picardy caghuse with oven roasted potatoes?

Count 2 h 45 in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a Picardy caghuse with oven roasted potatoes?

About 620 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a Picardy caghuse with oven roasted potatoes cost?

About €3.40 per serving, or €13.60 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains none of the major allergens tracked by Mon Chou. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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