German Meatballs – Frikadellen

These German meatballs are very easy to make, and they are popular with all my family.
Serve them with a green salad dressed with a German salad dressing, or white cabbage with a creamy sauce.
One of their main ingredients is bread, so you don’t really need any more carbohydrate, but if you have a healthy appetite you might want some dauphinois potatoes – the meatballs need a little creamy sauce.
If you have any left over, break them into halves and quarters and serve on rye bread as an open sandwich with pickled cucumbers, butter, pesto and dill.
Recipe for Frikadellen – German meatballs
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 300g/10oz beef mince
- 1 banana shallot
- 1 clove garlic
- smoked salt
- 3 tsp paprika
- 1 egg
- 2 slices of stale bread made into breadcrumbs – 4 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 3 outer stems of fennel or 1 stick of celery – finely chopped
- olive oil for frying
Method
- Mix all except half the breadcrumbs together.
- Roll into meatballs, about 1½ inches/6 cm diameter.
- Roll in remaining breadcrumbs.
- Fry in olive oil until done, turning frequently, about 15 minutes.

Music to listen to as you cook
Listen to the dark and rich Brahms’ German Requiem while you make them.