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Sjömansbiff
Sjömansbiff: Swedish 'sailor's beef' of sliced beef, onions and potatoes braised in beer
Sjömansbiff, the 'sailor's beef', was the meal cooked in a single pot in the galleys of Swedish ships, and today it is a Saturday-evening favourite at home and on traditional husmanskost lunch menus. Thin slices of beef, sweet onions and sliced potatoes are browned, layered and braised in dark lager with thyme and bay until the potatoes soak up the meaty juices. The dish contains alcohol: the beer cooks for over an hour but some alcohol can remain, so for an alcohol-free pot use the same amount of beef stock with a teaspoon of dark molasses. The usual mistake is slicing the potatoes too thin, so they collapse into mash; keep them a good 1 cm thick. Serve with pickled beetroot or a crisp cucumber salad. Chef's tip: fry the onions slowly until truly golden before layering, because their sweetness is what balances the bitter edge of the beer.
- Total time
- 95 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb beef topside or rumpcut into 1 cm slices and flattened slightly
- 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 3 onionsthinly sliced
- 1 ¾ lb waxy potatoespeeled and cut into 1 cm slices
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepperfreshly ground
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 ½ cups dark lageror beef stock for alcohol-free
- 1 cup beef stock
To serve
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley (optional)chopped
- 5 ½ oz pickled beetroot (optional)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat 1 tbsp rapeseed oil in a wide casserole over a medium-low heat and fry 3 onions for 12–15 minutes, stirring, until soft and golden. Tip them onto a plate.
15 minStep 2: Turn the heat to high, add 1 tbsp rapeseed oil and brown the 1 ½ lb beef topside or rump slices in batches for about 1 minute a side, until browned but still pink inside. Season with ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper.
8 minStep 3: Wipe out any burnt bits, add the last 1 tbsp rapeseed oil and brown the 1 ¾ lb waxy potatoes for 4 minutes, just to colour the edges.
4 minStep 4: Layer the pot: half the potatoes, then the beef and onions sprinkled with 1 tsp dried thyme, then the rest of the potatoes. Tuck in 2 bay leaves and sprinkle with the remaining ½ tsp salt.
3 minStep 5: Pour the 1 ½ cups dark lager and 1 cup beef stock into the frying pan you used, bring to the boil scraping the base, then pour it over the layers. It should just reach the top layer of potatoes.
3 minStep 6: Cover and simmer gently for 55–60 minutes, or bake at 350°F, until the top potatoes are tender when pierced and the beef is soft. Do not stir; shake the pot gently instead so the layers stay intact.
60 minStep 7: Scatter with 3 tbsp fresh parsley and serve straight from the pot with 5 ½ oz pickled beetroot.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 42 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sjömansbiff take?
- About 95 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of waxy potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
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