I love Lindström Steaks. I am trying to go more towards vegetarian foods, so I wanted to try this classic recipe to see how it would work as a vegetarian dish.

Originally, Biff à la Lindström is a Swedish dish made from onion, potato, red beet, capers, and ground beef, which are made into patties and fried. Although the name Lindström sounds Swedish, the inclusion of beets and capers makes it likely that the dish originates in Russia.

A typical story is that the dish was invented by a Finnish soldier, Henrik Lindström (1831–1910), who was born and raised in Saint Petersburg. He supposedly visited Hotel Witt in Kalmar on May 4, 1862, where he wanted to treat his friends to a meal he used to eat in Russia. He ordered the ingredients needed from the kitchen, made the patties and the patties were then brought back to the kitchen, where they were fried and then served. The dish was promptly added to the hotel’s menu. The dish remains on the hotel’s menu.

Another story attributes the dish to Adolf Henrik Lindstrøm, the chef who accompanied Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen on their missions to the Poles and through the Northwest Passage.

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of ready-to-use black beans (approx. 5 dl)
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 eggs
• 10 capers finely chopped
• about 500g pickled beetroots
• (2-4 gloves of garlic finely minced)
• 1 tbs marjoram
• 1 dl oat flakes, rye or regular breadcrumbs (you might need more if the dough is too soft)
• 1 tsp crushed linseeds
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 1 dl oat cream/cream
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt
• White pepper

Instructions:

1. Drain the liquid from the beans. Sauté the diced onion and grate the pickled beetroots.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and finely mash the beans using a potato masher or similar tool.
3. Let the patty mixture rest in the refrigerator until it is easily moldable. About 1-2hours. Add more oats or bread crumbs if the mixture seems too soft.
4. Shape the mixture into 10 balls and flatten them into patties about 1-2 cm thick.
5. Fry the patties in oil on a pan until crispy. Alternatively, you can bake the patties in a 200-degree Celsius oven for about 15-20 minutes. I found the oven method better. Patties were easier to handle, and if you still want that crispy fried taste, you can fry your patties afterward for a short time.

For Cooking:

• Canola oil (or butter)

Additionally:

• Capers
• Fried onion rings

Pan-frying:

Heat a frying pan. Add about 1 tbsp canola oil.

1. Fry the patties until fully cooked (about 2-3 minutes on each side). Adjust the heat to prevent burning once the pan is hot.

Oven-baking:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Shape the patties on a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Bake for about 15- 20 minutes or until the patties are fully cooked.

Tips:

• To shorten the cooking time, you could make your mix already on the previous day and let it settle in piece.
• Be aware that beetroot may stain utensils and hands. Consider using disposable gloves and stainless steel or dark-colored utensils where beetroot stains won’t be visible.
• The recipe also works with commercially available pickled beetroots without the juice or boiled beetroots. You can substitute the beetroot juice with oat cream or milk or standard cream or milk if you are not using canned beetroots in the recipe.
• If desired, fry onion rings on top of the patties. Peel and slice the onion. Add oil to a hot pan and fry until the onions soften.
• You can serve the patties with pickled capers if you prefer.
• We also use these patties as burger patties. Blue cheese and pickled red onions are perfect for this burger.

Lindström patties pair well with potatoes. We like to eat them with garlic mashed potatoes. These patties make great burger patties, too.