Kjøttkaker
Norwegian meatballs made with beef and pork, simmered in a rich brown gravy. Serve with mashed potatoes, lingonberry jam, and pickled cucumber for an authentic Nordic meal.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 385
- Protein
- 28g
Ingredients
- ½ lb ground beef
- ½ lb ground pork
- ½ medium onion, finely minced
- ⅓ cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- 1
Pour the milk into a small bowl and stir the breadcrumbs into it until no dry crumbs remain, about 30 seconds. Set aside to soak for 2 minutes.
- 2
Place the ground beef, ground pork, minced onion, and soaked breadcrumb mixture into a large bowl.
- 3
Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 0.5 teaspoon of black pepper to the bowl.
- 4
Use your hands to mix the ingredients together gently until just combined, about 1 minute. Do not overmix, or the meatballs will be tough.
- 5
Roll the mixture into 12 meatballs, each about the size of a walnut. Place them on a plate.
- 6
Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it melts and foams, about 45 seconds.
- 7
Add half the meatballs to the pan in a single layer, leaving space between each one so they brown instead of steam.
- 8
Cook without moving them for 2 minutes until the bottoms turn deep golden-brown, then roll each one a quarter turn and cook for 2 more minutes.
- 9
Transfer the browned meatballs to a plate using a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan.
- 10
Repeat steps 6–9 with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and the second batch of meatballs.
- 11
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan, leaving the browned bits stuck to the bottom.
- 12
Sprinkle the flour over the fat in the pan and stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 1 minute until it looks like wet sand and turns light brown.
- 13
Pour in the beef broth slowly while stirring, scraping up all the stuck-on brown bits from the bottom of the pan until smooth.
- 14
Return all the meatballs to the pan and bring the liquid to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
- 15
Simmer for 8 minutes, stirring gently once every 2 minutes, until the gravy thickens slightly and coats a spoon.
- 16
Taste the gravy and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
- 17
Transfer the meatballs and gravy to a serving bowl or plate with mashed potatoes, lingonberry jam, and pickled cucumber on the side.
Tools you’ll need
- large mixing bowl
- small bowl
- 12-inch skillet
- wooden spoon
- slotted spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- plate
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