Today’s Recipe Inspiration
Today’s recipe choice has undoubtedly been inspired by the sudden cold weather we’ve been experiencing, both in the UK and the US. And Sofie lives in Texas, so low temperatures are very out of character! Anyway, what we crave most on a cold day is a warming and hearty dish like a soup or stew. So, we thought what better time of year to share with you a very traditional Danish dish? In all honesty, this is not something we grew up eating, but the ingredients and taste are super similar to a lot of other Danish traditional dishes (aka potatoes and meat). It comes as no surprise that the result is delicious and perfect for a chilly winter day.
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Hearty Meat and Potatoes
If you love hearty winter dishes with meat and potatoes, we have a few other dishes to recommend you try out this winter! First is kalops, a Swedish beef stew that is full of tender, savory chunks of beef and potatoes to soak up the remaining broth. Next, we have the delicious Danish dish brændende kærlighed, which is basically mashed potatoes, crispy bacon pieces and fried onions. It doesn’t get any more comforting than that! Last but not least, we’d like to recommend to you this super tasty Danish pork stew called mørbradgryde. It doesn’t contain potatoes, but it’s the perfect stew to serve alongside some boiled or mashed potatoes. Check out these recipes and we can promise that you’ll be warm and full this winter 🙂
A Global Stew
This stew is called skipperlabskovs in Danish, or “the captain’s stew.” This is because, traditionally, it was eaten by sailors at sea. There are variations in other countries too: Labskaus in Germany and Lobscouse in England. The actual meaning of the three words – labskovs, labskaus, and lobscouse – is difficult to determine, as it could stem from several different languages and contexts. In England, the word “Scouse” refers to people from Liverpool, and that’s also believed to be where “Lobscouse” comes from, but scholars have disagreed whether this dish’s name originated in England and made its way to northern Europe from there, or first appeared in Germany and Scandinavia.
Ingredients for Skipperlabskovs
To make this dish, you’ll definitely need onions, meat, and potatoes. When it comes to the meat, try to pick a cut that can withstand a long cook time, so a chuck roast or what some supermarkets call “stew meat.” From there, you’ll need a few seasonings/spices, including salt, pepper, bay leaves, then basic ingredients like oil and beef stock. Finally, you may want some herbs for garnish, such as parsley and chives, but they are optional. When it comes to serving this stew, it’s traditional to eat it with rye bread and pickled beets. You can find both in some US and UK grocery stores, but if you can’t find them in yours, we’ve left a link below for you to order pickled beets online.
How to Make Skipperlabskovs
The process of making this stew is very straightforward and you can make adjustments as you go. When it comes to cooking recipes, I always say that you can change up the recipe however you see fit! One step I would recommend is to brown the meat in batches, because this creates a lot of flavor in the bottom of your pot that you can later scrape up into the stew. It contributes a lot to the depth of flavor in the dish! A Dutch oven is perfect for a recipe like this, and we’ve linked a reasonably priced one below if you’re in need of one.
Next, the meat has to cook for a while before you add the potatoes. When you do add the potatoes, keep in mind that you should cook them until soft (not just tender, but more!) and as a result, they actually help to thicken the stew as they break down. This gives the dish a great texture with the tender meat and soft potatoes. We hope you try out this recipe and let us know what you think in the comments!
Skipperlabskovs (Beef and Potato Stew)
Ingredients
STEW:
- 2 tbsp neutral oil for cooking
- 575 grams beef; chuck roast or "stew meat" *make sure you're using a cut meant for cooking a while!
- 190 grams onion
- 575 grams potatoes *we use gold potatoes, but you can use whichever kind you prefer!
- 500 ml beef stock
- 3-4 bay leaves
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 240 ml water *if needed
- Fresh parsley (for garnish) *optional
- Chives (for garnish) *optional
FOR SERVING:
- Pickled beets
- Sliced rye bread
Instructions
- Cut the beef into 3/4" to 1" sized cubes. Please note that you can use different amounts of beef and adjust the amount of stock needed; we tend to use equal weight amounts of beef and potato based on what the package of beef weighs from the grocery store!
- Season the beef with salt and pepper.
- Prepare the onion by peeling and then cutting it into slices. Set aside until ready to use later in the recipe.
- Preheat a dutch oven or pot over medium to high heat. Add in neutral oil.
- Add in beef cubes, making sure that all the beef is touching the bottom to get some browning. If you need to cook this in batches so the meat doesn't crowd the pan, feel free to do so!
- Flip the beef after a few minutes of cooking.
- After the beef has browned, add the onions and mix around well; begin to scrape up any of the browned bits around the pot.
- After a few minutes, the onion should start to soften. Add in the beef broth, and continue to stir and scrape the bottom if you have any bits stuck.
- Add in bay leaves to the pot.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer, then lower the heat (to low) and cover.
- Cook the beef and onions in the broth for around 1 hour, checking occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom and that it's still simmering. Adjust the heat if necessary.
- While the beef and onions are cooking, prepare your potatoes by washing and peeling them (you can leave them unpeeled if you want, it's a texture preference!).
- Dice the potatoes into 3/4" to 1" cubes.
- Remove the bay leaves from the pot after the hour of cooking time has passed.
- Add the potatoes into the pot and stir to distribute.
- If needed, add up to a cup more of water to cover the potatoes.
- Bring back to a simmer (raise the heat if needed, then lower again before covering) and cover the pot and cook for an additional 20-30 minutes.
- After 20-30 minutes, the potatoes should start to soften. At this point, we like to uncover the pot to let some of the liquid evaporate.
- Cook uncovered and at a simmer for another 15 minutes.
- At this point, the potatoes should start to break down a little bit and thicken the stew. You can stir or crush a few potatoes to help with the process.
- Adjust for salt and pepper at the end of the cooking time.
- Serve with pickled beets on the side and slices of buttered rye bread. If you like, you can also serve with different vegetable sides. Enjoy!
