What if one pot of Pot-au-feu could become three completely different meals?
For this #CleverKachen challenge, I’m starting with a big pot of classic Pot-au-feu: tender beef slowly simmered with vegetables and aromatics. But instead of eating the same leftovers for the next few days, I’m transforming them into two completely new dishes.
The first day, we enjoy the tender beef with a creamy egg and mustard sauce and boiled potatoes. Then the leftovers become delicious Feierstengszalot sandwiches with crunchy crisps, followed by a comforting buckwheat ‘risotto’ with mushrooms, beef and vegetables.
Three meals from one pot – with a few clever ways to use up other ingredients hiding in the fridge and cupboard along the way.
DAY 1: POT-AU-FEU WITH EGG SAUCE AND BOILED POTATOES
It all starts with a classic Pot-au-feu, made by slowly simmering beef with carrots, onion, leek greens and aromatics until tender.
For the first meal, the beef is served with buttered boiled potatoes and a nostalgic egg and mustard sauce.
The remaining beef, vegetables and cooking broth are kept for the next two meals, along with some of the egg sauce.
DAY 2: FEIERSTENGSZALOT SANDWICHES
The first leftovers are transformed into a Luxembourgish-inspired sandwich filling.
The cooked beef and carrots are blended with leftover egg sauce, pickled gherkins, mustard and mayonnaise to make a deliciously tangy Feierstengszalot-style spread.
It’s served between slices of bread with lettuce and a handful of crunchy crisps – a great way to use up those broken crisps left at the bottom of the bag!
→ Get the Feierstengszalot Sandwich recipe
DAY 3: BUCKWHEAT ‘RISOTTO’ WITH BEEF AND MUSHROOMS
For the final meal, the remaining beef and vegetables get another completely different makeover.
Buckwheat is cooked in the rich, homemade Pot-au-feu broth with mushrooms, garlic and white wine, then finished with leftover beef, carrots, Parmesan, rocket and a little lemon zest.
It’s a comforting, flavour-packed dish that makes the most of the original Pot-au-feu – including its delicious cooking liquid.
→ Get the Buckwheat ‘Risotto’ recipe
#CLEVERKACHEN
Cooking with leftovers doesn’t have to mean eating the same meal twice. With a little planning, one base recipe can become several completely different dishes – while giving ingredients that might otherwise be forgotten in the fridge or cupboard a new purpose.
And there are plenty of other clever ways to reduce waste along the way: freeze leftover leek whites for future soups and stews, save Parmesan rinds to flavour sauces, and freeze any remaining beef broth for another day.
#CleverKachen is a project created in collaboration with the Luxembourg Ministry of Agriculture, showing how a little creativity in the kitchen can help us make the most of our food and reduce food waste at home.$
