What To Expect If You See 'Ballotine' On A Menu

Those of us with passing knowledge of French cuisine probably know about famous dishes like a hearty beef bourguignon or a wine-soaked coq au vin, and if you were visiting a classic brasserie, you might hope to see them on the menu. However, French food traditions go far beyond these staples, and if you stop by a French restaurant that dives a bit deeper into that culinary canon, you may encounter a saucy dish called a ballotine.

First up, if you're a vegetarian, don't order this. It's typically made with poultry — chicken, duck, or turkey, in most cases. Depending on the dish size, a leg or a whole bird is deboned, and then wrapped around a filling called "forcemeat" — which, in this context, is basically stuffing, although it can feature more meat than your average bread-based one. The whole thing is rolled up in a cylindrical shape and braised or roasted, then it's sliced up and served, often with a classic French sauce.

Don't mix up a ballotine with a galantine: This is a common point of confusion, since both involve meats being stuffed and rolled up. However, a galantine is usually poached and served cold. Plus, the "wrapping" of a galantine tends to be poultry skin, with the rest of the meat mixed up with other meats and fats inside. In terms of texture and the way it's served, a galantine is closer to a terrine or maybe a cold sausage.

While the above description of a ballotine should give you a general idea of what to expect, it's worth noting that there can be a few variables, although it should generally be some kind of stuffing rolled up in meat. For example, you may encounter a lamb or veal ballotine instead of typical poultry, with the meat cut from the animal's shoulder.

Then there's the filling. "Forcemeat" is a general term so there's arguably no single rule on what's inside a ballotine. Traditionally speaking, the filling is meaty, and can be ground meats like sausage or pork, or cured options like chopped pancetta or bacon. The general idea is that these are fatty complements to the leaner chicken or turkey. If you peruse a few recipes, you'll see vegetables like mushrooms, chestnuts, and onions can find their way in, sometimes mixed in with meat or sometimes on their own, often with aromatics for flavor and breadcrumbs to bind it all together.

The sauce is also flexible. French mother sauces like a creamy velouté made with butter and stock or the darker espagnole sauce, which brings in mirepoix and tomatoes, are classics. Some recipes keep it simple, though, making a pan sauce with the meat juices combined with butter and alcohol like vermouth. With this many variables, if you see a ballotine on a menu and want to know what you're getting, it's worth asking some questions about the meat, stuffing, and sauce.