I’m planning to bring more Finnish recipes to this blog. Finnish food is often described as being pretty mild since recipes typically don’t call for any spices. While certainly not the world’s fanciest cuisine, Finnish food can be comforting in its simplicity especially when fresh, quality ingredients are used. This recipe I’m posting today was shared with me by Teemu Peltonen, a blogger who is writing in Finnish about real food at thetki. I have this same recipe also published on my blog in Finnish.

The main part of this meal is the “käristys.” The word käristys refers to a method used in Lapland for cooking the meat. When still partially frozen the meat is cut into thin slices and then fried in the pot and cooked over several hours on low heat, in butter and/or beer if available. It is most often a dish made with reindeer meat but other meats like beef or elk can be used just as well. As common in many Finnish meals, the meat is usually accompanied by mashed potatoes and lingonberries, if available.

Recipe: Finnish beef (or reindeer) stew, mashed potatoes, and crushed lingonberries

Ingredients:

Stew

500 g of roast, frozen (reindeer or beef)
2 Tbsp lard (for frying)
100 g butter
1,5 dl beer (or water)
2,5 dl fresh (wild) mushrooms or 2 dl dried (optional)
salt

Mashed potatoes

1 kilo floury potatoes
1-2 dl whole milk
50-100g butter
salt

Crushed lingonberries

2-3 Tbsp lingonberries per person
1 tsp – 1 Tbsp honey

Instructions:

Stew: Move the meat from the freezer to the refrigerator to partially defrost. For a larger piece of meat, do this the night before, for smaller pieces the morning of preparation will suffice. When the meat is partially defrosted, cut it into thin slices. Heat a large pot over medium heat and add the lard. Then add the meat and fry until well-browned. Add the butter, stir until well mixed, then add the beer (or water) and the mushrooms. Lower the heat to the lowest setting, cover, and let cook for about 3 hours. Salt according to taste.

Potatoes and lingonberries: While the meat is cooking take the lingonberries out of the freezer to defrost if they are frozen. Peel the potatoes and chop them into smaller pieces if they are large. Put the potatoes into a pot covered with cold water to prevent discoloring. Leave the butter and milk at room temperature to add to the potatoes later. Once the meat has been cooking for a couple of hours it’s time to cook the potatoes. Bring the water to a boil and cook over medium heat until soft. When done cooking pour off the water. Add some butter and a good splash of milk and salt. Mash the potatoes with, for example, an electric hand mixer. Keep mashing and add more butter, milk and salt until desired taste and consistency is achieved.

The lingonberries can be crushed with a spoon. Add honey to taste and mix.

Enjoy!

This recipe was brought to you by Teemu:

Hi! I’m Teemu, a cook and a foodie. I enjoy simple and delicious home cooked food. My food philosophy is to make real food from the best quality ingredients. I’m making the world tastier at my blog thetki.