Frikadeller

Ingredients

Fars (meat mixture)

• 500 gminced pork, about 20% fat
• 250 gminced veal, or more pork
• 1onion, finely grated on a box grater
• 1egg
• 3 tbspplain flour
• 150 mlwhole milk or sparkling water
• 1.5 tspsalt
• 1 tspfreshly ground black pepper
• 0.5 tspground allspice

Frying and serving

• 50 gbutter and 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 800 gpotatoes, boiled
• brown gravy made from the pan
• pickled cucumber salad and pickled red cabbage

Directions

1. Put the minced meats, grated onion, egg, flour, salt, pepper and allspice in a bowl and work them together with a wooden spoon for a full 5 minutes. The Danish word is at rore farsen, and the mixture must become sticky and pale.
2. Add the milk a splash at a time, beating it in completely before the next addition, until the farce is soft and glossy but still holds a shape on the spoon.
3. Cover and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour so the flour hydrates and the mixture firms. Skipping this makes them fall apart in the pan.
4. Heat butter and oil in a heavy frying pan over medium heat until the butter foam subsides and turns nutty.
5. Dip a tablespoon in the hot fat and scoop out an oval of farce, shaping it against your palm. Frikadeller are oval and slightly flattened, never round balls.
6. Fry in batches without crowding, 6–7 minutes on the first side until a dark brown crust forms, then 5–6 minutes on the second. Do not move them until the crust releases on its own.
7. Check one: the centre should be just cooked through, grey-pink and juicy, at about 72°C (160°F). Keep the batches warm in a low oven.
8. Pour off most of the fat, whisk in 1 tbsp flour, then 300 ml stock or the potato water, and simmer 3 minutes into a brown gravy, scraping the pan. Serve with boiled potatoes and pickles.

Technique

• Medium heat and a long fry are the Danish way. High heat gives a burnt crust and a raw middle, and the butter must brown, not blacken.
• The farce is beaten, not folded. That prolonged beating develops the meat proteins so the meatballs are springy rather than crumbly.
• Grate the onion rather than chop it: chopped onion leaves wet pockets and the frikadeller break apart.

Substitutions

• No veal: use 750 g pork alone with 1 extra tbsp flour, or swap in minced turkey for a lighter, drier version.

Variations

• Cold frikadeller sliced onto rugbrod with pickled red cabbage, the classic lunchbox smorrebrod.
• Frikadeller i karry, simmered in a mild curry sauce with rice, a Danish institution in its own right.

History

Pan-fried pork and veal meatballs whose name comes through German from French; they entered Danish cooking in the eighteenth century and never left.

Frequently asked questions

What is Frikadeller?

Frikadeller is a main from Denmark: pan-fried pork meatballs with potatoes, gravy, pickled cucumber. Pan-fried pork and veal meatballs whose name comes through German from French; they entered Danish cooking in the eighteenth century and never left.

How long does Frikadeller take to make?

Frikadeller takes 25 min plus 1 hr resting of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings (about 16 meatballs). It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Frikadeller?

Yes, within limits. No veal: use 750 g pork alone with 1 extra tbsp flour, or swap in minced turkey for a lighter, drier version.

What is the most important thing to get right in Frikadeller?

Put the minced meats, grated onion, egg, flour, salt, pepper and allspice in a bowl and work them together with a wooden spoon for a full 5 minutes. The Danish word is at rore farsen, and the mixture must become sticky and pale.