Labskaus — Hamburg Beet, Beef, and Potato Mash

Put the beef brisket in a pot with 2 liters of cold water. Bring it to a boil and skim off all the foam from the surface. Add the bay leaf, whole black peppercorns, and salt. Cover with the lid slightly ajar and simmer over low heat for 2 hours, until a fork passes through the meat easily and the fibers separate on their own.

Boil the peeled potatoes in salted water for 20 minutes, until a knife slides in without resistance. Drain.

Sauté the finely chopped onion in butter over medium heat for 8 minutes, until soft and golden at the edges.

Remove the cooked beef from the liquid and reserve the liquid. Finely chop the beef with a knife or pass it through the coarse plate of a meat grinder.

Mash the potatoes in the pot. Add the beef, sautéed onion, half of the finely chopped pickles, and pickle brine. Stir in 200 ml of the beef cooking liquid over low heat. Add the finely chopped beet last and cook for 3 more minutes. The mash should be soft, pink-purple, and fall slowly from a spoon. Season with black pepper and nutmeg.

Melt the butter in a skillet, add the eggs, and cook for 4 minutes, until the whites are completely opaque and the yolks begin to set at the edges.

Spread the mash on plates and top each serving with an egg. Arrange the pickled herring and the remaining cucumber pickles alongside.