Frikadellen; (Danish) Fried Meat Patties and Creamed Mushrooms

(4 servings)

There are many different versions of Frikadellen. I'm not even sure how mine compare to my mum's.

The traditional method calls for day old bread to be cubed and soaked in milk. The milk is then squeezed out and the remaining bread added to the meat mixture. I have a food processor, so I just make fresh bread crumbs instead.

The butcher had some nice smoked Black Forest bacon this week, so I picked up a few slices for the Frikadellen.

Frikadellen are often served on their own, but I made these with roasted potatoes and thought creamed mushrooms would be nice too.

Frikadellen
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs, about 2 slices
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 lb lean ground pork
2 slices smoked bacon, finely chopped
1 egg
2 green onions, finely sliced
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp German hot mustard, or a mustard you prefer
1 tsp fresh lemon zest, minced
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp unbleached flour
1-2 tbsp butter for frying

Place all of the ingredients except the flour and butter into a large bowl. Hands seem to work best here; thoroughly mix until everything is evenly combined.

Shape about 8 patties from the meat mixture. Roll each one in the flour and shake off the excess.

Heat the butter in a skillet and fry the patties on both sides until brown and cooked through. Keep the Frikadellen warm while you make the creamed mushrooms using the same skillet.


Creamed Mushrooms
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup dry red wine
2 tbsp water
1 tsp Better than Bouillon, Beef
1 tsp unbleached flour
2 tbsp heavy cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Add the mushrooms and wine to the skillet, and cook for a few minutes stirring and scraping the bits from the meat into the mushroom mixture.

Combine the water, bouillon and flour until it's well mixed and add that to the mushrooms. Cook, stirring for about 2 more minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the heavy cream. Adjust the seasoning if necessary with the salt and pepper.

Serve with the Frikadellen.