Ask a Luxembourger for the national dish and this is the answer you will usually get: a piece of smoked pork collar, soaked overnight, simmered for hours with leeks, carrots, celery and a glass of Moselle wine, then sliced and laid over broad beans in a soft onion and butter sauce, with boiled potatoes alongside. The village of Gostingen in the southeast grows beans so seriously that its people are nicknamed the bean madmen, which in a country this polite counts as high praise.

It belongs on a Luxembourg race weekend for a reason that suits the country. The Luxembourg Grand Prix was run twice, in 1997 and 1998, at the Nürburgring in Germany, so the name traveled and the race stayed put. This dish behaves the same way: put it on in the morning, leave it alone, and it will be exactly where you left it, only better, when the cars go out.

The smoked pork

Ingredients

• 1 piece, about 3 lb (1.4 kg) boneless smoked pork collar
• 1 medium onion
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 leek
• 2 carrots
• 1 small wedge, about 4 oz (115 g) celeriac
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 cup (240 ml) dry Moselle white wine
• about 3 quarts (3 liters) cold water

Method

1. The evening before, put the pork in the large bowl, cover it with cold water and put it in the fridge for 8 to 12 hours. In the morning, pour the water away and rinse the meat.
2. Push the 4 cloves into the whole onion like pins into a cushion, so they will not float loose in the pot.
3. Put the pork in the large pot with the studded onion, leek, carrots, celeriac, bay leaves and peppercorns. Pour in the wine and enough cold water to cover the meat by about 1 inch (2.5 cm). Set the pot over medium high heat until it just comes to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Spoon off any gray foam that collects on the surface.
4. Set the lid on slightly ajar and simmer for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, checking every 30 minutes that the meat is still covered; top up with hot water if needed.
5. Turn off the heat and leave the pork in its hot broth with the lid on while you make the beans and potatoes. Before you start the beans, ladle out 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) of the broth for the sauce.

Boiled potatoes

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 lb (1 kg) waxy potatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley

Method

1. About 30 minutes before you want to eat, put the potatoes in the second saucepan, cover with cold water, add the salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 18 to 22 minutes.
2. Drain in the colander, return to the pan off the heat and scatter over the parsley. Cover to keep warm.

Broad beans in savory sauce

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb (680 g) frozen broad beans
• 3 tablespoons (45 g) butter
• 1 small onion
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) hot broth from the pork pot
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon dried summer savory
• to taste black pepper and salt

Method

1. Bring the medium saucepan of water to a boil, add the beans and cook for 4 to 5 minutes for frozen, 3 to 4 for fresh. Drain them in the colander and rinse with cold water so you can handle them.
2. For the smoothest, greenest result, pinch the end of each bean and squeeze it out of its pale skin. This takes 10 minutes and is optional; many Luxembourg cooks leave the skins on.
3. Melt the butter in the same saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook gently for 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute. Pour in the hot pork broth a little at a time, stirring constantly so it stays smooth, then simmer for 3 minutes.
4. Stir in the cream if using, the savory and the beans. Warm through for 2 minutes. Taste, then add pepper and only add salt if it needs it.

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