What the frikadeller?

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When our son was first born my in-laws came to visit to meet their grandson and to help us ease into our routine as new parents. My mother-in-law was extremely helpful around the house and even took over dinner preparation duties.

During their visit I was introduced to frikadeller, which I later found out is my father-in-law’s favorite birthday dinner. Frikadeller is essentially a meatball recipe that originated in Denmark that is also very popular in Germany. There are a number of variations in their preparation, but the basic components of ground meat (beef, pork, veal), onions, eggs, milk and bread crumbs or flour remain the same.

Taking cues from the way my mother-in-law prepares frikadeller, I have created my own version. I like to make it for my family from time to time, especially when I have some of my own freshly made sausage on hand.

I was particularly excited when I made this just a few nights ago because little man seemed to really enjoy it. Considering he hasn’t been very interested in any type of meat lately we regarded his eager consumption a major coup.

Frikadeller

Hardware

Medium mixing bowl
Measuring cups and spoons
Food processor
Broiler pan (if cooking via oven)
Cast iron skillet or heavy bottom frying pan (if cooking via stovetop)
Spatula

Software

1# ground beef
1# ground pork
1 large egg
2-3 day old rolls or bread, cubed (1 1/2 c. bread crumbs can be substituted)
1 medium onion, liquified in food processor
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon steak sauce
1/2 cup milk
Canola or Vegetable oil (if frying)
Salt and pepper to taste

Assemblage

• Liquify the onion and mince the garlic
• Add all ingredients to mixing bowl and combine thoroughly
• If your mixture is too moist, add some more bread crumbs or flour in small amounts until you achieve the consistency desired.
• Conversely, if your mixture is too dry, add more milk slowly
• Form the meat mixture into balls, then press down flattening them
• If you are cooking them in an oven, set your temperature to 400 degrees and cook for about six to eight minutes on each side
• If you are cooking them by  pan frying, bring your oil up to temperature and cook through also about six to eight minutes on each side
• Another good option is to cook them on the grill

Variations on a Theme

You can really take this in any direction you want by adding or changing spices in the mixture. On occasion my Italian heritage takes over and I mix things up a bit by replacing the pork with uncased sausage meat. When I do this I usually cut out the steak sauce component and replace it with a tablespoon of dried crushed basil.

Also, at my primary grocery store they sell a ‘Meatloaf Mix’ that is beef, pork and veal all ground up together. If this is available I usually just use two pounds of that, but my recent favorite combination is one pound of the ‘Meatloaf Mix’ with one pound of uncased sausage meat.

Serving Suggestions

Generally I serve my frikadeller with roasted potatoes that I start on the stovetop with some bacon, then throw into the oven. You could simply toss some paprika on them, or you could be a little more adventurous and finish them with some fresh thyme and rosemary. I like to use a mandolin and slice the potatoes like thick potato chips so they get really crispy between their time in the pan with the rendered bacon and roasting in the oven.

If you give this, or anything else here, a try I’d love to hear from you about how you liked it or what you may have done differently to fit your tastes.