Tafelspitz

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg (3⅓ lb) beef brisket, in one piece (flat cut)
• 500 g (1 lb) beef bones
• 3 litres (12 cups) cold water
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 onions, halved and charred cut-side down in a dry pan
• 3 carrots, peeled
• 1 small celeriac, peeled and quartered
• 2 leeks, trimmed
• 10 black peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 small bunch parsley stems
• 600 g (1⅓ lb) small waxy potatoes
• Chives, to garnish

Apple-horseradish

• 1 tart apple, peeled and finely grated
• 2 tbsp freshly grated horseradish
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Pinch of sugar and salt

Chive sauce

• 150 ml (⅔ cup) sour cream
• 3 tbsp chopped chives
• 1 tbsp mustard

Steps

1. Put the bones in a large pot with the cold water and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then skim the foam for 5 minutes.
2. Add the brisket, charred onions, carrots, celeriac, leeks, peppercorns, bay and parsley stems.
3. When the pot returns to a boil, lower the heat so the surface barely trembles, and simmer partly covered for 2½ hours. The broth should stay clear.
4. Test the brisket with a skewer: it should slide in with little resistance. If not, cook 20 to 30 minutes more.
5. Meanwhile, stir the apple, horseradish, lemon, sugar and salt together. Stir the chive sauce ingredients in a separate bowl. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 20 minutes.
6. Lift out the beef and rest it 10 minutes in a little hot broth. Strain the rest of the broth through a fine sieve and taste for salt.
7. Slice the beef thickly against the grain, moisten with broth and sprinkle with coarse salt and chives.
8. Serve with potatoes, the carrots and the two sauces, and the clear broth in cups.

Notes

• Other cuts: the traditional cut is the tip of the rump (Tafelspitz), but brisket flat gives the same silky, beefy slices.
• Make ahead: chill the beef in broth up to 3 days and gently reheat in the broth. The broth also freezes 3 months.
• Serving: also serve with creamed spinach and roasted potatoes in Vienna.