Norwegian/German Labskaus

[buckytom]

when i was a kid, my mom often made labskaus. it was one of my favourite breakfasts, especially on cold winter mornings. it can best be described as a wet corned beef hash, but with the addition of mustard and pickles.

i did some research on it, and it is supposedly a recipe from the north sea fisherman of norway and germany. all i know is it's a good rib-stickin' breakfast for a cold day.

labskaus

ingredients:

1 tbsp sea salt
6 black peppercorns
4 large russet potatoes
4 tbsps butter
2 large white onions
12 oz corned beef
2 sour dill pickles
mustard
white vinegar
salt and pepper

1. peel and cube the potatoes, then par boil with 1 tbsp salt and 6 black peppercorns. drain, but reserve 1 1/2 cups of the seasoned water.

2. slice the corned beef and onions into small cubes.

2. melt butter in a deep sautee, add cubed beef and onions, fry until golden brown.

3. dice pickles and add to the meat and onions.

4. stir in par boiled potatoes. add reserved water, a little at a time until it forms a consistency of thick pudding.

5. season to taste with s&p, vinegar, and mustard.

6. serve topped with fried eggs, a side of buttered toast, smoked herring, and extra pickles on the side.

:chef::chef::chef::chef::chef:

[QSis]

This one looks more like hash than pudding, but the addition of the three sour things (pickles, mustard, vinegar) sounds GREAT to me!

I'll try it!

Thanks, BT!

Lee

[SilverSage]

Thanks bt. I've saved this and put corned beef on my grocery list.

I love corned beef hash, so this sounds great with the additional flavors.

[buckytom]

qsis, that's the stuff!!

yes, it is a hash, but it's definitely not on the dry side. pudding might be a bad descriptor.

it's pastey, a little chunky, like in your picture.

i can't wait to hear if you guys like it. i'm putting corned beef on my shopping list as well.

[Keltin]

Interestingly enough, my frined in Germany knows I like to cook and recently asked me if I knew of Labskaus. I said I had heard of it, and wanted his recipe. Here is what his wife wrote up for me. I'm going to try it this weekend!

The recipe calls for gherkins which I've read is like a pickle, so I'm going to sub in Dill Pickle instead.

Ingedients:

Roughly 2 pounds potatos
2 cans of Corned Beef (one can of Australian Corned Beef is 2/3 pounds over here)
1 onion
1 big pickled gherkin (or 2-3 smaller ones)
Pickled beet (as a side dish)
Fried eggs (I suggest 2-3 per person)

Cook potatoes with salt and a bouillon cube.

Roast Corned Beef gently in pan together with chopped onion.

If potatoes are done, use some broth to make potato puree (use a hand mixer).

Add Corned Beef to puree, add diced gherkin.

Hurry as it gets cold quickly. Serve Labskaus on a plate with 2 fried eggs added on top of it. Add salt/pepper to the egg as you like. Enjoy some beet as a side dish.

[MexicoKaren]

Oh gosh that sounds so good! Thanks for sharing it, Keltin. I think maybe a gherkin is a sweet pickle, though - anybody?

[Keltin]

Oh gosh that sounds so good! Thanks for sharing it, Keltin. I think maybe a gherkin is a sweet pickle, though - anybody?

I don't know and was wondering the same thing.

I checked the Wiki, and it seems that it is Dill and sour, but that's not to say it can't be sweet since our pickles come both ways.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gherkin

[cara]

the origin of labskaus is to do something with the remains of the last meal.
You can use Corned beef (the way my Mum did it), some cooked beef rib or, in the Hamburg-version, fish like herring or Matjes (which is a special kind of herring).
lots of recipes also have beetroot within.

[Keltin]

I made this tonight. The recipe was passed on to me by my German friend (Frank) in Hamburg, Germany. He didn’t say if this is a globally German dish, but I do know it is popular in Northern Germany (where he is from).

This recipe was typed up and sent to me by Katja, Frank’s wife.

The recipe calls for Gherkins which is a near cousin of the pickle that we know. To be sure, I asked, and it’s the Dill or sour version we need here. This is a hearty breakfast dish that is good for both morning and evening meals (I love breakfast for dinner!).

I’ve never had Labskaus before, but Katja’s recipe was very easy to follow. I just hope I did the dish justice. Either way, it tasted incredible!! Thanks Katja!! :clap:

Labskaus

Ingredients:
Roughly 2 pounds potatoes
2 cans of Corned Beef (one can of Australian Corned Beef is 2/3 pounds over here)
1 onion
1 big pickled gherkin (or 2-3 smaller ones)
Pickled beet (as a side dish)
Fried eggs (I suggest 2-3 per person)

Procedure
Cook potatoes with salt and a bouillon cube.
Roast* Corned Beef gently in pan together with chopped onion.
If potatoes are done, use some broth to make potato puree (use a hand mixer).
Add Corned Beef to puree, add diced gherkin.

Hurry as it gets cold quickly. Serve Labskaus on a plate with 2 fried eggs added on top of it. Add salt/pepper to the egg as you like. Enjoy some beet as a side dish.

Notes
*My Note: Roast here means to lightly sauté in a pan with the onions.

I did a half recipe of this using 3 potatoes, a 10oz can of corned beef, and half a medium onion.

[MexicoKaren]

Oh that looks so good, Keltin! And your eggs are picture perfect. It looks very tasty, and I'm sure the chopped pickle really makes the dish. I'll be trying this very soon! Thanks for sharing the recipe.

[lilbopeep]

Oh gosh that sounds so good! Thanks for sharing it, Keltin. I think maybe a gherkin is a sweet pickle, though - anybody?
Any of the gherkins I have had are tiny skinny SWEET pickles. Maybe there is a sour version I haven't seen.

[Keltin]

Any of the gherkins I have had are tiny skinny SWEET pickles. Maybe there is a sour version I haven't seen.

Same here. All I could find are the "baby" sweet gherkins (got a jar of them now in the fridge!). Frank assured me it has to be the dill (sour) version, and Katja said I could use Dill Pickles instead, so I did. It was great!

[buckytom]

oh my god, keltin, that's exactly it!!! it looks exactly like what my mom made. it would make her proud. :thumb:

i neeeeeed labskaus.

[Keltin]

oh my god, keltin, that's exactly it!!! it looks exactly like what my mom made. it would make her proud. :thumb:

i neeeeeed labskaus.


Wow! Thank you BT, I can't imagine a better compliment! Thank you! And thanks again to Frank and Katja (pronounced "cut-ya") for the recipe I used! :thumb: :bounce:

[UncleRalph]

Had a similar side living in Amsterdam, and now it is gonna drive me crazy as to what it was called. I had it as a side, with toast, in addition to my weekly treat of Raclette.

[buckytom]

labskaus and a raclette? throw in a snickers bar and i think i know what you were doing in amsterdam. :mrgreen:

[QSis]

Oh that looks so good, Keltin! And your eggs are picture perfect. It looks very tasty, and I'm sure the chopped pickle really makes the dish. I'll be trying this very soon! Thanks for sharing the recipe.

:agree: What Karen said!

We were raised on Kosher Dill Gherkins - I didn't know there was any other kind of pickle until I went to college. I still like them best - crispy, crunchy, perfect size.

Nice job, Keltin!

Lee

[UncleRalph]

labskaus and a raclette? throw in a snickers bar and i think i know what you were doing in amsterdam. :mrgreen:

no, no, no. No Snikers for me, more like a lil spacecake for breakfast dessert. Made for an amazing day off. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, memories. . .I think? Crap, I forgot. . .

[Mama]

Oh WOW, Keltin! That looks really good...your eggs are exactly the way I like mine. Thanks BT and Keltin for sharing this!

[Keltin]

Just heard from Frank about this. I forwarded the pics to him. He said:

--------------------------------------------------
So cool that you actually tried it. I’ll show Katja the pictures tonight and will forward what she says. They look pretty good, though. Do you always fry your eggs both sides? We never do. But it’s a good way to get rid of the fluid white of the egg actually.
--------------------------------------------------

So, Frank approves, now to see what Katja thinks since it's her recipe. :biggrin:

I'm fascinated by what he said about the eggs though. Sounds like he takes his eggs with just the bottom barely set and a runny top. I'll have to quiz him some more on that. Interesting.

The eggs in my pic were fried only on one side. I covered the pan with a lid and added a few drops of water to create steam to set the top. I got that wonderful tip from MexicoKaren in the egg thread. Post #31.

Thanks Karen!! :thumb:

http://www.netcookingtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15795&page=2 (http://www.netcookingtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15795&page=2)

[lilbopeep]

A wise woman (my Mama :biggrin:) always told me to pick your battles. Ones that involve pride are never worth fighting so always ask yourself if you are considering involving yourself in an argument, "Does it have anything to do with pride?"...if the answer is "yes", walk away...it's not worth fighting because there are no "winners". I sometimes forget those wise words and EVERY TIME that I have, I've regretted it. :flowers:

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll107/katco12/P3140550-2.jpg

Merry Christmas!!!
When will my piece of corn bread be arriving? I'll put up water for tea and a pot of fresh ground joe.

[Adillo303]

Anybody see any Labskaus around here?

[cara]

just came across this - and I think I know what to eat tomorrow :mrgreen:

not sure where to get the gherkins... my Mum used to do them, maybe I find something similar at the market....

[QSis]

Hi Cara! Good to see you again!

And thanks for bumping up this thread! I'm going shopping today and will put a can of corned beef on my list.

This dish looks like a great weekend dinner!

Lee