Quote:
Originally Posted by Katti's Cat
Well, know that you have read through the yummy cookie receipe here is an old family favourite.
WARNING: this dish looks quite disgusting at the end but so far I have never met anyone who doesn't like it. My stepdaugter & her sisters call it (very unfortunate but not far from the truth) "Spew with egg"
We just call it 'Labskaus' (I believe in other parts of the world it's called 'hot pot'). Please note that this is a family receipe and not the 'offical labskaus' receipe you can find elsewhere.
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The way you describe it, it sounds like a German recipe (esp. with the name). You are right, it tastes good, but doesn't look quite inviting
So I'm going to add my favourite winter comfort food, which is not quite unlike your labskaus, but which might not scare the guests
This is a dish that is served in (almost) every Danish home.
Danish 'Skipperlabskovs', four servings
500-600 g beef or veal, bite-sized dice (the kind of meat that's meant to simmer for a long time)
a little bit of fatty bacon, diced finely (for taste - optional, only if frying meat)
2 onions, diced
about 130-150 gram of potato per person - MUST be a white, floury type, potatoes for baking are the best - diced, 1.5-2 cm
1 teaspoon of whole peppercorn
2-3 bay leaves
salt
water
Optional: 2-3 carrots, in 5 mm slices - it's not traditional, but it makes the dish look nice, and it adds a bit those vegetables we all need more of. Doesn't hurt the taste either.
First step is optional, but it enhances taste a little and makes the dish look better (less of those floaty bits you get when boiling meat):
Melt a little butter or margarine on a frying pan. Add the bacon, and fry it until the fat starts melting. Turn op high and sear the meat quickly on all sides. Put the meat in a large cooking pot. Turn down the heat and fry the onion a few minutes. Musn't get too dark. Add the onion to the meat.
If you skip frying, just put meat and onion in a large pot. Add enough water to just about, but not quite, cover the meat. Let it simmer on low (very low) for an hour or two. This can also be done in a slow cooker (6-8 hours).
About 45 min. to one hour before serving time, add the potatoes, and if using, the carrots. You may need to add a little more water at this step. You don't need to peel the potatoes, but it does look nicer if you do.
When the potatoes are well done, you skim off a good deal of the liquid. About half should do it. Now, using a large spoon, break apart some of the potatoes, and generally just stir it vigorously. The end result should be like wet, very lumpy, mashed potatoes with meat (and carrots) mixed in.
Spoon into a serving bowl and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley. Serve with sliced, pickled beetroot as a condiment.
If you've followed my advice on frying the meat, peeling the potatoes, added carrot, and sprinkled with parsley, you should have an inviting looking dish, nice enough for guests. If you haven't, it'll look browner and plainer, but it'll taste great nonetheless
If you've used yellow, firm potatoes, you'll end up with a thick soup with potato lumps - so don't.
BTW, if you sprinkle with fresh parsley and want to save leftovers, you need to stir in the parsley and re-heat the skipperlabskovs well to kill any bacteria lurking on the parsley.