Rundvleessalade

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy-bottomed pot, 3-liter or larger
• •Slotted spoon
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Sharp knife for small even dice
• •Wide serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Simmer the beef

   Put the beef in a heavy pot with the onion, bay leaf, peppercorns, cloves if using, salt, and enough cold water to cover by 2 cm. Bring it slowly to a boil, skim off the grey foam, then lower the heat until the water barely moves. Simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until a fork slides into the meat without argument. Let the beef cool in the broth for 30 minutes, then refrigerate it in a shallow container with enough strained broth to cover. Cold beef dices cleanly and keeps its juices.

   Choose a cut with a little connective tissue, not lean steak. Sukadelap or chuck becomes tender with time; lean beef turns dry and behaves as if the party offended it.
2. 2

   Cook the potatoes

   While the beef cooks, put the potatoes in salted water and simmer until a knife meets no hard centre, about 18 to 22 minutes depending on size. Drain them well and let them cool completely. Peel them if you like, then dice them small. Hot potatoes drink the dressing and turn heavy; cold potatoes stay tidy.

3. 3

   Dice the filling

   Lift the cold beef from its broth, pat it dry, and cut it into small dice, about 5 to 7 mm. Dice the cooled potatoes to roughly the same size, then add the pickles, apple, shallot, and parsley. This salad is a democracy with beef as its chairperson; every spoonful should carry a little of everything.

4. 4

   Mix the dressing

   Stir the mayonnaise, creme fraiche, mustard, pickle brine, 2 tablespoons of the cold beef broth, and a little white pepper in a large bowl. Taste before adding more salt. The broth, pickles, and beef have already been speaking, and a cook should listen before correcting them.

5. 5

   Fold and chill

   Fold the beef, potatoes, pickles, apple, shallot, and parsley through the dressing until everything is lightly coated. The salad should be creamy, not swimming. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, so the beef, potato, and pickle settle into one another.

   This is a make-ahead dish by nature. The refrigerator is not storage here, it is part of the method.
6. 6

   Shape and garnish

   Line a platter with lettuce leaves if using, spoon the salad into a low oval mound, and smooth it with the back of a spoon. Arrange the sliced eggs and pickle fans on top, scatter with parsley, and finish with a modest dusting of paprika. Serve cold with buttered toast rounds, soft white rolls, or rye bread. Hou het altijd simpel: this was made to be passed, not admired from a distance.

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for sukadelap, chuck, or another simmering cut. A piece with a little sinew gives you tenderness and flavour after two hours; a lean steak only gives you expensive dryness.
• •Cool the beef in its broth, but do it sensibly. Let it lose its fierce heat on the counter for about 30 minutes, then move it into the refrigerator in a shallow container.
• •Do not drown the salad in mayonnaise. Start with enough dressing to bind, then add more only if the potato still looks dry. A good rundvleessalade holds together on the spoon without slumping into sauce.
• •Garnish just before serving. Eggs and pickle fans are old-fashioned in the best sense, but they look tired if they spend the night pressed into the dressing.
• •On a buffet, keep it cold and do not let it stand out for more than 2 hours. History and cookery, they cannot be separated, but neither can mayonnaise and common sense.

Advance Preparation

• •The beef can be simmered up to 2 days ahead and kept refrigerated in its strained broth.
• •The salad is best mixed 1 day ahead and chilled overnight; garnish shortly before serving.
• •Keeps 2 to 3 days covered in the refrigerator. Do not freeze it, unless you enjoy potatoes with the texture of a damp ledger.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 220g)