Food Blog of the Month: HellesKitchen // Absolutely awesome selection at Annis!

Article taken from: Food Blogs of the Month* HellesKitchen.

Annis Pølsemakeri has been in Mathallen from the start, that is, for five years. Back then, they only sold cured meats and sausages. Now they have expanded the store and rented the premises next door, built dry-maturing cabinets and have one of Mathallen's most successful stores.

I meet Daniel Byskov in the shop where he is busy slicing a lovely dry-aged Côte de Beuf into beautiful pieces. He is a trained butcher and runs the shop in Mathallen. His mother is Anni herself and the founder of Annis Pølsemakeri in Ringebu 18 years ago.

– It's time again to go to the butcher and buy good meat. We notice that. You find less and less good meat in regular stores.

Have people become more conscious about eating less meat?

– Well, they probably have this in mind when they come here, but then they forget it a bit when they see the beautiful cuts of meat, laughs Daniel. It's possible that they eat meat less often, but they don't buy small cuts of meat.

Annis in Mathallen has an impressive selection of sausages, pates, cold cuts, patties and meat products. They also sell melted Dry Age beef fat. The same as the three-star restaurant Maaemo uses in its waffles. Rabbit is sold steadily throughout the week. So is horse meat.

Right now, lamb is being dry-aged in the beautiful new cabinet. “It turns out so incredibly tender and flavorful.”

By Easter, the lamb is fully matured and Annis can offer leg of lamb, shoulder and saddle. “Lamb in late winter has such a delicious taste,” says Byskov.

Yes, then we can look forward to Easter!

– People want to treat themselves to something good, even in the middle of the week. We have become the kind of store where people come and let themselves be tempted. On weekdays, we sell mostly beef. On weekends, we sell more slow-cooked meats such as oxtails and ox cheeks. That's when you have time to make slow-cooked and slow-cooked stews. People have become comfortable buying cuts other than just fillets, says Daniel, who is happy to give good tips for preparation when customers ask him. – The willingness to try something new is definitely there, says Daniel.

The best sellers at Annis are entrecôte and oxtails. In the sausage department, it is the Vienna sausages, Frankfurters and lamb sausages that sell the most. But the sausages with tomato and basil also sell well. “We sell a lot of sausages all year round,” says Byskov as he cuts several beautiful pieces of dry-aged côte de beuf. The loin from the piece is sold as a bone-in steak. “There’s a lot of flavor here,” reveals Daniel, who despite his young age has become a highly respected butcher in the capital.

Annis sells the famous Heston burger – made with the method "invented" by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal. When the meat is ground, the strips of meat are carefully gathered into a sausage. Then burgers are cut from the sausage without the meat having been kneaded and processed too much. They also sell some of the world's very best meat. Roxa d'ouro Dry Age from Galicia is said to be just that – the world's best meat. Txogitxo from the Basque Country is also on the counter at Annis.

“We also sell ready-made meals,” says Daniel. “Our stew is the most popular. Everyone likes a good stew, you know.”

I myself can't resist the temptation to make a delicious tartare and ask Daniel which part of the ox he would recommend. At first he tempts with horse, but we land on the kidney from the ox – one of the most beautiful cuts.

HellesKitchens tartar with root chips

I travel a lot and in Barcelona and Copenhagen they are crazy about tartar. I therefore want to make a delicious tartar with delicious beef from Annis in Mathallen. When you are going to make a good tartar it is important that you work with good and fresh ingredients. The meat should be raw and the best result (in my opinion) is obtained by chopping the meat coarsely by hand.

One kidney transplant is enough for two people.
I like to mix in homemade mustard mayonnaise and chopped capers. That's really all you need to make a juicy tartare. You want to taste as much of the meat as possible, so don't mix in too much mayonnaise. Feel free to use a spoonful at a time.

How to make homemade mustard mayonnaise:

1 whole egg
1 pinch of flaked salt
A little freshly ground pepper
2-3 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
About 1 dl sunflower oil

Blend this in a blender. Thin with more oil if you want a thicker mayonnaise.
Mix in 2 teaspoons of finely chopped capers at the end.

Mix a few tablespoons of mayonnaise into the meat and shape the tartare into a nice circle on a plate.

I like something crunchy with the tartare and go for root chips. It's super easy to make yourself. Use root vegetables that you like, and preferably two or three different ones. I use almond potatoes, beets and parsnips.
I shred these (or cut them into thin slices) with a mandolin, but you can use a julienne peeler or a grater too.
Heat 1 liter of neutral oil in a pot with high sides. When the oil is about 170-180 degrees, drop strips of root vegetables into the oil. It is best if you take one vegetable at a time, as they fry at different times. Place them on kitchen paper before placing them on top of the tartare. Serve as a lunch dish or a real comfort dish on the weekend.
The beetroot could be a little less crispy. It's delicious with a little different textures in the side dishes.

Tips: If you're really crazy (or lazy), add some roe on top of the tartare, under the root vegetable chips. It gives a wonderful salty taste to the dish. But choose a mild caviar that isn't too "fishy" in taste. If you can't find it, skip the caviar.

*Each month, Mathallen focuses on a food blog that we find exciting, delicious and inspiring. The food blogger of the month will then be both the main guest and writer on our website, and will share experiences, adventures and tips from Mathallen every week in the relevant month.