Danish Meatballs (Frikadeller)

The Danes and the Swedes were in numerous wars over hundreds of years; one reason could have been 'the meatballs'. Most people will think of Sweden and perhaps IKEA when they think of meatballs; however it is also a traditional dish in Denmark and it is a dish that varies from family to family, often being passed down through generations. My recipe goes back at least 100 years, perhaps more; but I have traced it back to my great-grandmother and can remember making the meatballs with my grandmother as a little girl. The difference between the Danish and Swedish meatballs is often that ground pork is added to Danish meatballs making them fluffier and - being Danish - I think more tasty ;)

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 15 meatballs

Ingredients

• 350  g  extra lean ground beef
• 150  g  ground lean pork (as lean as you can get, ground pork in Denmark only has around 8-10% fat)
• 1  egg
• 8  tablespoons  breadcrumbs
• 1  onion, small, shredded finely on cheese grater
• 1⁄2 cup water
• 1 3⁄4 teaspoons salt
• 2  teaspoons black pepper (add more if you want a spicier meatball)

Directions

1. 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.
2. 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).
3. 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.
4. Serve with a potato salad, mashed potatoes or cooked potatoes with a white milk based gravy.