SALT BEEF & CRISPY POTATO LATKE BAGEL

A couple of classics from a Jewish deli thrown into a toasted bagel. This is high levels of comfort food. Splash out on a fat bit of ready-brined salt beef and you've got sandwiches for DAYS.

Ages. 3 Hours Including Prep.

Ingredients

(To feed 4, with some leftover sandwich salt beef)
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FOR THE BRISKET
1.5-2Kg Pickled Salt Beef Brisket
2-3 Onions (white or red)
3 Cloves of Garlic
Tablespoon Black Peppercorns
4 Celery Sticks
2 Medium-Large Carrots

FOR THE LATKES
2-3 Large Maris Piper Potatoes
1 Small White Onion
Teaspoon of Horseradish
A Large Egg
Salt and Pepper
Splash of Vegetable Oil

OTHER BITS
4 Sesame Seed Bagels
Some Decent Pickled Gherkins
English Mustard

Ingredients

Instructions

Roughly chop your carrots, your onions, your celery and give your garlic cloves a bash. The skin of all of this can stay on, this is rustic business. Fill up a large pan and fill it with water, maybe leave an inch of space from the top so things cannot boil over, but you're NOT boiling, you're simmering. So this should not be an issue. Whack in your brisket. Chuck in all your chopped veggies and garlic bits and make sure the brisket is submerged in the water. You might have to slice it a little smaller to fit. Chuck in your peppercorns and bring to a boil. Once it's boiling, turn the heat down and simmer, covered, for 2 hours, or 2.5 hours if you want it extra soft. Check on it after an hour just to make sure it's still all covered and doing its thing.
You now have what is commonly known as "ages" to wait. Fill this time by preparing some potato latkes. Grate all of your spuds, skin on (it's good for you) onto a clean tea-towel. There is so much moisture in potatoes and we want rid of it so that we have crispy latkes. When it's all grated, fold your towel up so you can hold it without the grated potato falling out, and squeeze all the wet brown jankiness out into the sink. Keep going until no more wetness is coming through the towel. Unravel your towel and stick the slightly dryer potato stuff into a bowl with a good few pinches of salt. You then want to dice up some onion as finely as possible and mix that in with your potato. This can go to the side, covered, until you have to turn the heat off your brisket.
When your brisket has had 2-2.5 hours you must kill the heat on the pan and cover with baking paper to let it rest a little bit. Preheat your oven to 110ºC. This is when we mix in some black pepper, some horseradish sauce and an egg with our grated potato, which has been patiently waiting for us. Stick a little vegetable oil in a pan on a medium heat and then (with washed, clean hands please) make little potato patties. These need about a minute and a half to two minutes on each side. They should go beautifully golden brown. Pop them on a tin foiled tray when done and keep going until your tray is full of latkes. These can then go into the oven to keep warm. It's bagel prep time.
Slice your bagels in half and get them all toasted. It might be an idea to do them under the grill for a couple of minutes if you want everyone to eat at the same time. Get your latkes out of the oven. Slice your brisket into chunky slices. Spread a good spoonful of hot English mustard on your bottom layer of bagel. Stick your beef slices on, your latkes, a couple of pickles. I'm not going to tell you how many pickles to apply, do what brings you the most joy. The top layer of the bagel will need a bit of mustard, you want the inside of your face to feel like its on fire. Stick the lid on and tuck in. Big sandwich. Bad boy sandwich. Worth copping that expensive salty brisket badman.