Labskaus

Ingredients

• 400 gcorned beef — chopped
• 600 gboiled potatoes — mashed roughly
• 200 gpickled beets — diced, plus juice
• 2onions — chopped
• 4matjes herring fillets — to serve
• 4fried eggs — to serve
• 2pickles — to serve
• 2 tbspbutter
• to tastefine sea salt and black pepper

Method

1. Start by finely dicing the 2 onions. In a large skillet or frying pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Once the butter is foamy, add the onions and sweat them gently, stirring occasionally, until they become translucent and soft, about 5-7 minutes. This will develop a sweet and savory base for the Labskaus.
2. While the onions are cooking, roughly chop the 400 g of corned beef and 200 g of pickled beets. Once the onions are ready, fold in the corned beef, boiled potatoes, and beets into the pan. Add a splash of beet juice from the jar to moisten the mixture and enhance its pink color. Stir everything together until the ingredients are well combined.
3. Continue to warm the Labskaus over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is heated through and has a uniform pink hue. The texture should be spoonable and cohesive, not too dry or too wet. Taste the mixture and season with fine sea salt and black pepper to your preference.
4. In a separate pan, heat a small amount of butter over medium heat. Crack the 4 eggs into the pan, taking care not to break the yolks, and fry them sunny-side up. Cook until the whites are set but the yolks remain runny, which will add richness to the dish when served.
5. To plate the Labskaus, spoon a generous portion of the hash onto each plate. Arrange 1 matjes herring fillet and 1 fried egg beside the hash on each plate. Slice the 2 pickles and place them alongside the other components. Serve immediately, allowing the diners to mix the elements as they wish.