Romertopf Clay Pot Baking Beef in Wine Recipe

Have you ever baked anything in a clay pot?  I have aways been afraid of doing this.  I thought the pot would crack, that it would be too heavy to lift, or that it would turn out earthy-tasting.  A sweet friend of mine, the same one who introduced me to bread baking, gave me a Romertopf clay baking dish from West Germany that she found at a yard sale for $5.  Unbelievable.  I searched on eBay for these and they generally start at $30.00; new they start at $50.00.  What a generous gift for a very average cook like me.  

     I searched online for recipes and found one with 4 stars called Romertopf Beef in Red Wine.  This one recipe was at several different websites so I figured it must be pretty good.  It really was delicious. My whole family loved it.  It comes out with a different texture than when cooking in the crock pot and is not watery at all since very little liquid was added. It cooks at 425 degrees for a couple of hours (the main negative since it runs the oven that high and long).  You also have to be sure to NOT use soap when cleaning, but just soak and scrub with a brush.

The clay bakeware is soaked for 15-30 minutes before placing the ingredients in it and then is put into a COLD, rather than pre-heated, oven.  Everything goes into one pot like you do with a crockpot.  Very simple, very easy.  I prepared mashed potatoes, broccoli and bread as the side items.  Very few leftovers.  The entire meal was gobbled up except for what's in the photo on the right.  :)  I'll definitely be using this bakeware again. Thank you, Gabriele.   Keep an eye out for one of these pots at the next yard sale or thrift store you go to.  My friend says people receive them as wedding gifts and often don't know what to do with them (my son thought it was a  new planter) so they give them away or pass them on.   They are extremely popular in Europe and last a lifetime if properly kept.   Try it for yourself.