Ingredients
- 1 kilo (1000 gram) beef (beef to use in soups)
- 1.6 kg waxy potatoes
- Jar of pickles
- Jar of sweet-sour tiny onions
- 450 gram frozen peas
- 700 ml mayonnaise
- 8 carrots
- 1 lemon
- pepper and salt
- optional: 2 sour green apples (such as Granny Smith)
Tip: if you want a smaller amount of koude schotel, you can easily divide all in the ingredients. Make sure you’ll calculate with the a ratio of 1 kg meat and 1,6 kg potatoes.

Cooking equipment needed
- large bowl
- 2 large pans
- potato peeler
- colander
- cutting board & chef’s knife
- 2 forks
Preparation — 30 minutes + 4 hours waiting time
FILL 2 pans with water and bring to a boil. Start peeling the potatoes and carrots. COOK the potatoes until they’re done, you can easily check if they’re cooked enough using a fork. DRAIN the potatoes and let them cool off until they’re on room temperature.
PLACE the pieces of beef for soup in the second large pan and let it cook on low heat for a few hours. You can check if it’s ready by pulling it together. If that goes very easy, the meat is cooked enough. REMOVE the meat from the water and let it cool off. The water that’s left is super delicious, so use it for a soup or sauce.
Meanwhile CHOP the potatoes into small cubes and the carrots into slices or cubes. FILL the pan you’ve used for the potatoes again with water and bring to a boil. COOK the carrot until they’re almost done, then also ADD the frozen peas. DRAIN them after a few minutes and let them cool off to room temperature.

Finishing up the Limburger cold salad a.k.a. koude schotel — 45 minutes + waiting time
COMBINE the potato cubes, peas and carrots in the large bowl. Use 2 forks to create pulled beef en also ADD this to the large bowl. PEEL the apples and chop them into small cubes. also ADD them to the bowl. CHOP 10 to 14 pickles in thin slices and also add them along with the sweet-sour onions to the bowl.
SEASON with pepper, salt and the mayonnaise and stir very well. ADD as much lemon juice as you like, it should be a bit sour but not too sour.
For the best result, it’s best to refrigerate it overnight. This way the flavors can enhance. Koude schotel is mostly served on parties here in Holland, that’s why the recipe asks for this large amount. Serve on top of some lettuce leaves and with some slices of bread. Enjoy!
Healthy food is over rated! Lets finally have food that tastes good once in awhile! Trying this recipe soon! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Liz! It’s all about balance, but mostly just eating what’s delicious :D Hope you like it!
Where is the mayonnaise?
What do you mean Sophie?
My mother made this and I still use her recipe. It was called “slaaijte” and used left over cooked meat, potato, gerkins, sour apple, beetroot …. all chopped to the same size and mixed with mayonnaise. Loved this and will continue to make ours this way. Although the above recipe looks interesting too.
Thank you Gerri! Your moms ‘slaatje’ sounds indeed similar, this recipe is also my moms. It used to be a classic dish at most parties that has a buffet (well at least in the south of the Netherlands in the 90s where my mom used to have a catering business) Have a great day! :-)