Danish Frikadeller
Pork meatballs shaped with a spoon and fried slowly in butter, crusty outside and soft in the middle.
Frikadeller are Denmark's meatballs. The name comes from the Italian frittella, a fried thing, by way of German or Dutch, and Denmark's own website says plainly that they are not a Danish invention. The Danes just made them their own.
They first show up in Denmark as a garnish in the early 1700s and became a dish of their own once meat grinders arrived. They're shaped with a spoon, not rolled, which is why they come out as little ovals.
Why it works
Oats and flour
They soak up the milk, and that held moisture is what keeps frikadeller soft.
The spoon
Shaping with a spoon against the bowl gives the classic little oval.
Watch it made
Step by step
- Step 1
Mix the salt into the meat first. Salt helps the pork bind.
- Step 2
Add the flour and oats, then the onion and garlic, then the egg, and the milk last. Stir until the mix is firm.
- Step 3
Rest it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. You can make it the day before.
- Step 4
Fry a tiny test piece and taste it for salt.
- Step 5
Melt the butter over medium heat. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the mix with a spoon, smooth it against the side of the bowl, and slide it into the pan.
- Step 6
Fry slowly, turning, until brown outside and cooked all the way through. Low and slow beats fast here.
Danish Frikadeller
Serves 4 · about 20 frikadeller · 1 hr 5 min total
Frikadeller
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 large onion, chopped very fine
- 1 clove garlic, chopped very fine
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp rolled oats
- Scant 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg
- About 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp butter, for frying
To serve
- Boiled potatoes
- Brown gravy
- Pickled red cabbage
- Or: rye bread, the next day
Method
- Mix the salt into the meat first. Salt helps the pork bind.
- Add the flour and oats, then the onion and garlic, then the egg, and the milk last. Stir until the mix is firm.
- Rest it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. You can make it the day before.
- Fry a tiny test piece and taste it for salt.
- Melt the butter over medium heat. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the mix with a spoon, smooth it against the side of the bowl, and slide it into the pan.
- Fry slowly, turning, until brown outside and cooked all the way through. Low and slow beats fast here.
Adapted from the recipe on Denmark's official website. Denmark.dk. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
Tips
- Cold frikadeller on buttered rye bread the next day is half the reason to make a full batch.
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