Danish Meatballs (Frikadeller)
The main difference between the iconic Swedish meatball and the Danish meatball is the inclusion of the ground lean pork which gives the meatballs a lighter texture and if you were to ask a Dane, a better flavor (I'm remaining impartial here to avoid the nasty emails ;).
Ingredients
Meatballs:
3/4 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 large onion, grated
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
4 tbsp flour
2 eggs
1/4 - 1/2 cup half & half (or milk) for consistency
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 - 3 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp sage leaves
butter for frying the meatballs
Gravy:
3/4 - 2 tbsp drippings from Frickadeller
butter if needed
1 cup heavy cream (milk works too)
3 tbsp flour
1 tbsp beef bouillon
salt & pepper
Directions
1. Combine beef, pork and onion. Mix together well.
2. Add the breadcrumbs, flour, eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, garlic, and sage leaves (it works best if you mix it with your hands).
3. Slowly add in half & half (or milk) for consistency (you want them to be slightly sticky, you shouldn't be able to form them into a perfect ball).
4. Coat large skillet well with butter. Drop clumps of mixture (a heaping tablespoon size) into the skillet.
5. Fry on medium to medium-low heat until brown (press the meat down a lightly with a fork so it flattens out a little), then flip (approx. 35 min. per side). Add more butter with each batch. When you are done, don't clean out the skillet, you will need those bits and drippings for the gravy.
6. To make the gravy, add the flour to the drippings to form a roux (you can add butter if there were enough drippings left).
7. Slowly add cream (or milk) until mixture reaches gravy consistency. Add beef bouillon, salt & pepper to taste. Let mixture cook for a bit to remove the flour taste. Serve with the meatballs.
