Victuals & Drink, Volume 1 number 1, January 1999 Lobskovs A winter standby in my youth, this heavy meat-and-potatoes dish is a stick-to-your-ribs meal best eaten in cold weather. Variations are found throughout northern Europe. I learned this version from my mother, who tells me it is Swedish. A warning: when done, labskovs (pronounced lobscouse) is a disconcerting gray or green or even orange (depending on which additional vegetables you add). Put 1/4 lb. butter in a large wide-bottomed pot at very low temperature. Chop one or two large yellow onions, throw in the pot and sauté on low until the onions are translucent. Put in about one to two pounds of cubed stew beef. Peel a lot of potatoes. When the beef is browned, add bay leaf (one to three) and a small handful of black peppercorn. Cut a few potatoes into large chunks and throw in. Cover with water. Keep adding potatoes and water, cutting the potatoes into smaller chunks as you go, until the pot is full. If you wish, add other vegetables such as spinach, carrots, parsnips, or rutabagas. I myself prefer the basic potatoes and onions. Cook on low, stirring occaisionally, until you have what looks like gray lumpy mashed potatoes, about two hours. This dish gets better after a few days of reheating. Serve with butter and dijon mustard.
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