Biff à la Lindström (Beef Patties with Beets and Capers)

Juicy Swedish beef patties mixed with chopped pickled beets, capers and onion, fried in butter and served with a quick cream pan sauce and potatoes. Serves 4.

Beef patties with beets and capers topped with a fried egg, with cream sauce, potatoes and pickled beets
  • Prep 20 min
  • Cook 15 min
  • Total 35 min
  • Yield 4 servings (8 patties)

Jump to: Ingredients | Instructions | Tips | Questions | Print recipe

Biff à la Lindström is named for Henric Lindström, who is said to have taught the recipe to a hotel kitchen in Kalmar in the 1800s. Finely chopped pickled beets turn the patties a deep rosy pink, and capers add little bursts of brine.

Serve them with boiled or mashed potatoes and a simple pan sauce. A fried egg on top is a popular addition.

Ingredients

Patties

  • 1 pound ground beef (85 percent lean)
  • 1 small boiled potato, mashed (about 1/3 cup)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 small yellow onion, very finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped pickled beets, plus 2 tablespoons of their brine
  • 2 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Pan sauce

  • 1/2 cup beef broth
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions

  1. Mix. In a bowl, mix the beef, mashed potato, egg, cream, onion, beets, beet brine, capers, salt and pepper until just combined.
  2. Shape. Shape the mixture into 8 patties about 3/4 inch thick.
  3. Fry. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the patties for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until browned and 160°F in the center. Move them to a plate.
  4. Make the sauce. Add the broth to the pan and simmer for 1 minute, scraping up the browned bits, then stir in the cream and simmer until slightly thickened.
  5. Serve. Spoon the sauce over the patties and serve with potatoes.

Tips

  • The mixture is soft; chill the shaped patties for 15 minutes if they are hard to handle.
  • Pickled beets stain, so wash cutting boards right away.

Questions about this recipe

Do the beets make the patties taste sweet?
Only a little. Pickled beets add a gentle sweet-sour note and a rosy color.
What do you serve with biff à la Lindström?
Boiled or mashed potatoes, the pan sauce, and often a fried egg and a few extra pickled beets.

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