Recipe
Wiener Tafelspitz
The classic Wiener Tafelspitz with clear beef broth, creamed spinach, apple horseradish and roast potatoes.
With Wiener Tafelspitz, what matters is not speed, but calm. The meat is started in cold water, heated slowly and then only gently cooked. This is exactly how it stays juicy and the soup becomes clear.
One thing is especially important: do not boil it. The stock may only simmer quietly. Creamed spinach, apple horseradish and roast potatoes classically go with it. The beef broth is classically served together with the meat.
❌ do not boil rapidly
✅ only let it gently draw
✅ keep the spinach leafy
✅ cut the meat across the grain
1. Prepare everything for the start
Prepare the meat, onions, carrots, celery root, leek, garlic, bay leaves and pepper for the stock. The meat is started in cold water; the skimming only comes afterwards during the slow heating.
2. Let the tafelspitz draw slowly
Add onions, carrots, celery, leek, garlic, bay leaves, pepper and a little salt. Very important: heat slowly and do not let the pot boil rapidly. Then let the meat with the vegetables draw very gently for 2 to 2½ hours. The stock should stay clear and cook the beef juicy.
3. Do not boil, only simmer
With classic Wiener Tafelspitz, calm decides everything. The broth may only move quietly, not boil strongly. That is how the meat stays tender and the soup stays clean in flavour.
4. Let the meat rest and cut across the grain
Lift the cooked meat out of the broth and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Then cut it into nice slices across the grain. This is exactly how the tafelspitz stays juicy and pleasantly tender when served.
5. Prepare the creamed spinach
Melt the butter, briefly sweat the finely chopped garlic, then add the leaf spinach. When it collapses, stir in the cream and season with salt and a little nutmeg. The spinach should stay leafy and not turn into purée.
6. Beef broth and apple horseradish
At the end, pass the soup through a fine sieve, season it and serve it together with the meat. For the apple horseradish, stew apples with sugar, lemon juice and a little soup until soft, purée coarsely and only at the end stir in the freshly grated horseradish.
Serving suggestion
How we serve Wiener Tafelspitz
At the end, the meat is arranged in slices, classically served with a little beef broth and combined with creamed spinach, apple horseradish and roast potatoes. For this, the roast potatoes are cut into slices from pre-cooked potatoes and fried golden brown in butter or oil until they are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.