Tafelspitz

Ingredients

Beef

• 1.5 kgtafelspitz, the cap of the rump, or top rump
• 3marrow bones

Broth

• 4 litreswater
• 2onions, halved and charred cut side down
• 3carrots
• 2parsley roots or parsnips
• half a celeriac
• 1leek
• 8peppercorns
• 2bay leaves
• a bunch of lovage or parsley
• salt

Apfelkren

• 2apples, grated
• 4 tbspgrated fresh horseradish
• 1 tbsplemon juice
• a pinch of sugar and salt

Schnittlauchsauce

• 2hard-boiled egg yolks
• 2 slicesstale white bread, soaked in milk and squeezed
• 150 mloil
• 1 tbspvinegar
• 1large bunch chives
• salt

To serve

• Rösterdäpfel, roast potatoes
• creamed spinach
• the broth as a first course

Directions

1. Put the beef into water that is already boiling, not cold. Meat lowered into boiling water seals on the outside and keeps its flavour and juices, where meat started in cold water gives everything up to the broth.
2. Skim the scum off carefully as it rises in the first fifteen minutes. Skim it while it is still a raft on the surface. Now char the onion halves, cut side down, in a dry pan until genuinely blackened. Add the charred onions, the vegetables, peppercorns and bay.
3. Add the marrow bones now, tied in muslin if you want to keep them intact. Never let it boil. Simmer for 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours. Salt it only in the last hour. It is done when a skewer goes into the meat with only slight resistance.
4. Add the lemon straight away, because grated apple browns within minutes. Grate the horseradish fresh and at arm’s length, since the fumes are fierce and worse than onion.
5. Make it shortly before serving, as horseradish loses its heat quickly once grated. Add the oil in a thin stream while beating constantly, or it will split.
6. Add the vinegar and a great deal of finely chopped chives. Marrow on toast with the broth is the traditional first course and it should not be skipped.
7. Slice it across the grain in thick slices, which is what keeps it tender. Serve both sauces alongside, and roast potatoes and creamed spinach.

Technique

• Viennese butchers name a great many distinct boiling cuts and they are not interchangeable.
• The broth is served as a course in its own right.
• Apfelkren and schnittlauchsauce are both traditional and both are served.

Substitutions

• Top rump or silverside if tafelspitz is unavailable.
• Jarred horseradish, though fresh is much better.

Variations

• With semolina dumplings in the broth.
• With Rösterdäpfel, fried potatoes with onion.
• Served cold the next day, sliced, with the sauces.

History

The boiled beef cut favoured by Franz Joseph I; Viennese butchers still name dozens of distinct boiling cuts for it.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tafelspitz?

Tafelspitz is a main from Austria: boiled beef with broth, apple-horseradish, and chive sauce. The boiled beef cut favoured by Franz Joseph I; Viennese butchers still name dozens of distinct boiling cuts for it.

How long does Tafelspitz take to make?

Tafelspitz takes 30 min of preparation and 3 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Tafelspitz?

Yes, within limits. Top rump or silverside if tafelspitz is unavailable. Jarred horseradish, though fresh is much better.

What is the most important thing to get right in Tafelspitz?

Add the marrow bones now, tied in muslin if you want to keep them intact. Never let it boil. Simmer for 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours. Salt it only in the last hour. It is done when a skewer goes into the meat with only slight resistance.