Danish Recipes Frikadeller

FRIKADELLER (DANISH MEATBALLS)

Steps:

• Combine beef, pork and onion. Add breadcrumbs, flour, eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, garlic, and sage leaves (it works best if you mix it with your hands).
• Slowly add half & half for consistency (you want them to be slightly sticky, you shouldn't be able to form them into a perfect ball). Coat large skillet well with butter. Drop clumps of mixture (a heaping tablespoon-size) onto the skillet.
• Fry on medium to medium low heat until brown (press the meat down a lightly with a fork so it flattens out a little.. it should look like a fat hamburger.. see picture below), then flip (approx 3-5 minutes per side). Add more butter with each batch.
• Serve with gravy (see below). **Don't wash the skillet-- you will want the brown bits and drippings for the gravy**
• Add the flour to the drippings to form a roux (add butter if needed). Slowly add cream (or milk) until mixture reaches gravy consistency. Add beef bouillon, salt & pepper to taste.

DANISH MEATBALLS (FRIKADELLER)

Steps:

• Mix together all ingredients using hands in a big bowl. To get the right consistency it is important that all ingredients get well mixed and gets softened a bit. I would say that you should knead for around 5 minutes.
• Form into meatballs according to the size you prefer. In Denmark meatballs used for dinner is the size of the palm of your hand, and lunch meat balls are about half of that. (Quantity for this recipe is based on dinner meatballs).
• Heat a non-stick pan to medium-hot and place the meatballs in the pan. If you feel they stick too much to the pan, you can add a bit of butter to the pan (not oil). Turn the meatballs with a fork once they have started to brown. Keep turning them every 4 min or so being careful that they do not brown too much. Cook for approx 15-20 min until cooked through.
• Serve with a potato salad, mashed potatoes or cooked potatoes with a white milk based gravy.

FRIKADELLER

Steps:

• Place the ground meat in a bowl and add the salt, then mix. It is important that the meat is kneaded continuously, for 5 minutes, before adding the other ingredients.
• Then add the egg and onion and continue kneading the mince for 2 minutes.
• Add the flour and freshly ground pepper.
• Knead the meat for 3 minutes.
• Then gradually add the milk.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the meat rest in the refrigerator for 2 hours, kneading it 4 times during the resting time.
• Using the dose of a tablespoon, form meatballs (between 15 and 20) and place them on a dish.
• Refrigerate the meatballs for 45 minutes.
• Heat the oil or butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pan to a temperature of about 340 F (170°C) and fry the meatballs over medium heat on all sides for about 5 minutes per side.
• Place the frikadeller on a paper towel.

FRIKADELLER (DANISH MEATBALLS)

Steps:

• Mix the veal and pork together in a bowl, and stir in the milk, onion, and egg. Mix the bread crumbs into the meat. Sprinkle in the flour, and knead well to mix. Stir in the seltzer water, season to taste with salt and pepper, and mix well. The mixture should be very moist, but not dripping.
• Chill the meat mixture for 15 to 30 minutes in the refrigerator, to make the meatballs easier to form.
• Heat the margarine in a large skillet over medium heat.
• To form meatballs, scoop up about 2 1/2 tablespoons of meat mixture with a large spoon, and form the mixture into a slightly flattened, oval meatball about the size of a small egg. Place the meatballs into the heated skillet, and fry for about 15 minutes per side, until the meatballs are well-browned and no longer pink in the center.

FRIKADELLER - DANISH MEATBALLS

Steps:

• All ingrediens for the meatballs (all except butter and oil) is mixed in a bowl.
• The meatballs are shapes in the desired size and fried in a pan on middle heat in a mix of oil and butter for approx. 10-12 minuts. Turn them over when half of the time is up.
• They should be nicely brown but not burned.
• Serve with boiled potatoes and stewed cabbage or on a piece of rye bread.

FRIKADELLER (DANISH MEATBALLS AND GRAVY)

Steps:

• Mix meat and onions together. Add egg and mix again. Add flour and remaining ingredients.
• Using a melon baller or small spoon, form into melon ball sized balls. Place on waxed paper and slightly squish each ball so it is flattened slightly.
• Melt butter in frying pan and cook balls for 10 min on each side at medium heat. While frying the balls on the last side to be browned, make the gravy.
• Melt butter over low heat in a medium saucepan. Add flour and stir until smooth. Add half of the meat stock slowly while constantly stirring. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Add rest of the stock along with the vinegar and boil for 3 minutes, while constantly stirring. Add pepper and salt. Add sherry and dill, if using, at the very end, just before removing from heat. Remove from heat, allow gravy to cool for 4-5 minutes, while stirring constantly.