Swedish sailor's beef braised in beer (Sjömansbiff)

1. Cut the beef into 1 cm thick slices, beat them lightly and season with salt and pepper; slice the onions thinly and cut the peeled potatoes into 5 mm slices.

2. Sear the beef quickly on both sides over high heat in half the butter, then lift out; fry the onions in the remaining butter for 5 minutes until golden.

3. Layer the potatoes, onions and beef in a heavy-based pot, starting and finishing with potatoes, seasoning as you go and tucking in the bay leaves and thyme.

4. Deglaze the frying pan with the water and pour it over the layers together with the beer.

5. Cover and braise over low heat or in the oven at 175 °C for 1.5 hours until both the meat and potatoes are tender.

6. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with pickled beetroot.

Tip: Sjömansbiff, "sailor's beef", was originally a filling one-pot meal cooked on board ship. The beer gives the sauce a deeper, slightly bitter flavour, and the alcohol evaporates during the long braise. A pale lager or a dark beer both work, but avoid very hoppy ones, which make it too bitter.