Boiled Beef with Potatoes

Name: Boiled Beef with Potatoes
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Hungarian
Ingredients: 1 kg beef shank or brisket, in one piece; 2 carrots; 1 parsley root; 1/4 celeriac; 1 onion, unpeeled, whole; 2 bay leaves; salt, a few whole peppercorns; 800 g potatoes; 3 tbsp butter; 2 tbsp chopped parsley; grated horseradish, to serve (optional)

Time: 2 hr 30 min (about 20 min hands-on)6 servingsapprox. 440 kcal / serving (estimated)approx. 35 g protein / serving

Here boiled beef is not a by-product of meat broth but the star of the show: it cooks slowly until tender in barely simmering water with plenty of root vegetables. The result is a big batch of meltingly soft meat and a bowl of strong broth. Serve it with buttered parsley potatoes and freshly grated horseradish, which makes it a relative of Viennese Tafelspitz.

Boiled Beef with Potatoes (illustration)

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Method

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Cover the beef with cold water in a large pot, bring to the boil, and skim off the foam that forms on the surface.
Add the peeled carrots, parsley root, celeriac, the washed, unpeeled onion, the bay leaves and the peppercorns, then season with salt.
Cover and simmer gently over low heat, barely bubbling (not a hard boil), for 2-2.5 hours, until the meat falls apart easily with a fork.
Meanwhile, peel and dice the potatoes, and boil them separately in salted water for 15-20 minutes until tender, then drain.
Toss the hot potatoes with the butter and the chopped parsley.
Lift the cooked meat out of the broth, and cut it into chunks or slices.
Strain the broth; it can be served alongside with the cooked vegetables, or on its own.
Serve the meat with the buttery, parsley potatoes, and grated horseradish if you like.

Based on: Malatinszky Fanny szakácskönyve (a classic Hungarian cookbook), modernised. Calories and protein are estimated.

Tips

Start the meat in cold water and skim off the foam carefully, so that the cooking liquid stays clear and can also be served as soup.
Never boil it hard, just let it barely simmer, because a vigorous boil makes the meat tough and stringy.
Cook the onion with its skin on, because the skin gives the liquid a lovely golden colour.

Frequently asked questions

Which cut is best?

Shin and brisket are best, because their connective tissue turns tender during long cooking. Lean sirloin is not suitable for this.

What can I make with the leftover cooking liquid?

It is a wonderful soup base: it can be frozen, or served the next day with noodles and vegetables. Once the broth has cooled, the fat set on top is also easy to lift off.

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