Corned Beef Hash with Potatoes and Beet Root - Labskaus

Labskaus is something people bring together with Hamburg. It is a traditional dish there.

Originally it was food served on sail ships. Food that lasted long and did not spoil. You can find variations of this dish all over the North and Scandinavia.

It is not very often served. Because not many people trust the cook. When a blender is used, the dish resembles something that served in nursing homes when people can´t swallow food easily. Or it just looks like cat food.

That is the reason I only used a potato masher and chopped most of the ingredients with a knife.

Made with salted beef that was cooked and then pushed through a meat grinder. But the ones you will get in Hamburg are made with canned corned beef. This is sold in this special cans with the tiny key to run around the bottom of the can to open it.

The other ingredients are pretty simple: potatoes, gherkins, onion, beet root and fried egg.

DO NOT forget the very special thing that this dish is served with: rolled filled pickled herring

recipe for 3:
400 g potatoes
350 g corned beef can
300 g beet root pre cooked
200 g gherkins
150 ml gherkins water
1 small onion
1 tsp rapeseed oil
pepper
3 rolled filled pickled herrings
3 fried eggs

Peel the potatoes and boil them until done, drain and use a potato masher to press them.
Peel and cut the onion very fine.
Open the can of corned beef and chop it.

Finely chop up 250 g beet root and 175 g gherkins with a knife. Save the beet juice for later.

In a larger pan fry off the onions and add the corned beef. It should not fry, so in with the gherkin juice and beet juice and cook the meat. Add the chopped veggies and stir well. The color will change to pink. Season with pepper.
Now use a masher and add the mashed up potatoes and mash some more.
In a second pan fry off the eggs.
Open the jar of herring and cut slices from the whole beet root and serve a gherkin to the side too.
Add the