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Senfeier
Senfeier: eastern German hard-boiled eggs in mustard cream sauce
Senfeier is a dish many people who grew up in Berlin, Saxony or anywhere in the old East remember from school canteens and Friday suppers: halved hard-boiled eggs in a smooth, pale mustard sauce, with boiled or mashed potatoes to soak it up. It is cheap, fast and comforting, and the sauce is a simple butter-and-flour roux loosened with stock and milk, then sharpened with two kinds of mustard. A common mistake is boiling the sauce hard after the mustard goes in, which makes it taste flat and grainy; add it off the heat. Chef's tip: a spoon of the gherkin pickling liquid at the end lifts the whole sauce.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the eggs and potatoes
For the mustard sauce
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Cook the 1 ¾ lb starchy potatoes (such as Maris Piper) in boiling water with 1 tsp salt for 18–20 minutes, until tender. Drain and keep warm.
20 minStep 2: Meanwhile cook the 8 eggs in boiling water for 9 minutes, so the yolks are fully set. Cool them in cold water, peel and halve.
12 minStep 3: Melt 1 ⅜ oz butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Stir in 3 tbsp cornflour or gluten-free plain flour and cook for 1 minute, then whisk in 1 ¼ cups vegetable stock and ¾ cup milk a little at a time. Simmer for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until it coats the back of a spoon.
6 minStep 4: Take the pan off the heat and whisk in 3 tbsp medium-hot mustard, 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tbsp gherkin pickling liquid. Season with salt and white pepper.
2 minStep 5: Lay the eggs in the sauce, cut side up, and warm gently for 2 minutes without boiling. Scatter with 2 tbsp chives and serve with the potatoes.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 440 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does senfeier take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
- What can I use instead of starchy potatoes (such as maris piper)?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
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