Introduction
Lapskaus is one of those dishes that normally asks for time, but a pressure cooker gets you there in under an hour without losing the old-school comfort. The pork knuckle does the heavy lifting, and the stock it gives off becomes the backbone of the whole pot.
I like to keep the vegetables fairly chunky so the stew still has some structure in the spoon instead of turning into puree. If you use a salted knuckle, be careful with seasoning until the end. A little rosemary and a handful of parsley lift the stew just enough without pulling it away from the classic version.
Step-by-step
Ingredients (serves 6)
- 1 smoked or cured pork knuckle, about 1.4 to 1.8 kg (3 to 4 lb)
- 700 g potatoes (1.5 lb), peeled and cut into large chunks
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced or cut into large pieces
- 1 leek, sliced
- 1 yellow onion, cut into wedges or thick slices
- 1 small parsley root, diced
- 300 g celeriac (10.5 oz), diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- Black pepper
- Salt, if needed
- 1.2 l water (5 cups), plus a little extra if needed
Method
- Place the pork knuckle in the pressure cooker with about half the celeriac, the bay leaves, and 1.2 l water (5 cups). Lock the lid and cook under pressure for 40 minutes. Release the pressure carefully and lift out the knuckle.
- When the knuckle is cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bone and divide it into bite-size pieces. Discard skin, gristle, and bone.
- Strain the stock if you want a cleaner broth, then measure about 800 ml (3 1/3 cups) for the stew. Pour it into a large pot with the potatoes, carrots, leek, onion, parsley root, and the remaining celeriac.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes start releasing some starch and the broth takes on a lightly thickened texture.
- Return the meat to the pot with the rosemary and a few good turns of black pepper. Add a little more stock or water if the stew gets too tight, then simmer for 5 to 10 minutes more.
- Taste only at the end. If the pork knuckle was salty, black pepper may be enough. Fold in the parsley just before serving.
Serving note
Serve in deep bowls with good bread on the side and a little extra parsley over the top. If you want a thicker lapskaus, stir the pot a bit more firmly in the final minutes so some of the potatoes break down and bind the broth.
