Poronkäristys recipe

Reindeer shaved paper-thin while still frozen, braised in butter and beer, served on mashed potato with lingonberries.

1 hour and 25 minuteseasy11 ingredients

Ingredients

• 500 g reindeer meat
• 150 g lingonberries
• 70 g butter
• 200 ml beer
• 700 g potatoes
• 100 ml milk
• 1 onion
• 4 slice pickled cucumber
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

How to make Poronkäristys

1. Keep 500 g of reindeer meat in the freezer and shave it paper-thin with a sharp knife while it is still frozen - that cut is what makes the dish. In Finland it is sold ready-shaved as a frozen block.
2. Melt 70 g butter in a heavy pan over high heat, add the frozen shavings and let the water they release cook off, about 10 minutes.
3. Add 1 finely chopped onion and fry 5 minutes, until the meat browns in the fat.
4. Pour in 200 ml beer (water works too), season with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper, cover and simmer gently 45 minutes to 1 hour until the meat is tender.
5. Boil 700 g peeled potatoes 20 minutes, drain them and mash with 100 ml hot milk, 70 g butter and a pinch of salt. Mashed potato, not boiled chunks, is the standard base.
6. Crush 150 g lingonberries with 2 tbsp sugar without cooking them - raw crushed lingonberries are the traditional version, jam is the everyday shortcut.
7. Spoon the reindeer and its pan juices over the mash, put the lingonberries on the side and add a few slices of pickled cucumber.

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