Classic Danish meatballs (frikadeller)

Frikadeller - Opskrift på pandestegte frikadeller

Classic Danish meatballs (frikadeller)

Classic Danish meatballs (frikadeller) just like grandma made them – juicy and full of flavour.

Course Lunch, Main course

Cuisine Danish

Nøgleord Danish food, Danish meatballs, Frikadeller, Grandma's cooking, Old-fashioned food

Total Time 45

Servings people

Calories 629kcal

Ingredients

The best old-fashioned Danish meatballs

800 g minced pork, or mixed minced veal and pork
1 large onion – finely chopped, grated or blitzed in a blender
2
eggs
150 ml
whole milk
50 ml dried breadcrumbs
2 tsp coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
Butter and rapeseed oil, for frying

Instructions

The best old-fashioned Danish meatballs

Mix the meat thoroughly with the salt – ideally in a stand mixer, otherwise with a hand mixer or thoroughly by hand.
Then mix the remaining ingredients into the meat, season generously with pepper and stir the mixture well.
If the mixture is too dry, add a little extra milk; if it is too loose, add a little extra breadcrumbs. If the meat has been frozen, it may hold extra liquid, so bear that in mind.
Let the mixture rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before frying the meatballs.
Melt a generous knob of butter with a little rapeseed oil in a frying pan over medium heat, and let it foam gently.
Dip a tablespoon in the hot fat in the pan and shape the meatballs with the spoon and the palm of your hand. Fry the meatballs until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes per side over medium heat.
As they are done, transfer the meatballs to a dish and cover it with foil to keep them warm.

Notes

With this batch there will often be a few meatballs left over, which can go in the fridge for packed lunches – or into the freezer.

Avoid using an overly large pan when frying meatballs – something people typically do with large batches. The mixture will cool the pan down too much and make the meatballs stew rather than fry. Use 2 smaller or normal-sized pans instead.

Nutrition