Ingredients
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Meatballs
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500 g minced pork10% fat
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1 egg
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45 g breadcrumbs
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to taste Salt & pepper
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1 tbsp Butter
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2 tbsp Oil
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Stewed peas and carrots
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4 carrotabout 300 g
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300 g peaspeeled, preferably from frost
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20 g Butter
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2 tbsp Flour
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1 bunch parsleyabout 20 g
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800 g boiled Potatoesoptional, as a side dish
Directions
Karbonader, originally inspired by the French crépine, was a great success in the 1950s in Danish kitchens. The dish consists of a flat meatball of minced pork or a mix of pork and veal.
Shaped into a burger, it is then rolled in beaten egg, dipped in a mixture of flour and bread crumbs, seasoned with salt and pepper, and fried in butter until golden brown. It is served with either boiled potatoes or potatoes fried in butter, and grønærter, a milk-based gravy. The gravy is made with butter, flour, juices from the pan, green peas, and boiled diced carrot.
The dish can also be served with butter sauce if you feel you haven’t quite got enough butter on your plate. Younger Danes are a bit savvier these days and find karbonader a tad unhealthy. But still, they love it when grandma makes it, as it makes them nostalgic for childhood.
Preparation:
- For the meatballs: boil the unpeeled potatoes. Form 4 meatballs approx. 1½ cm thick.
- Beat the egg on a plate with a fork.
- On another plate, mix the breadcrumbs with salt and pepper.
- Dip both sides of the meat patties in the egg and then the breadcrumbs, to create a breaded outer coating.
- Let the butter and oil turn golden in a pan over a good heat. Brown the chops for 1 minute on each side. Turn down to medium heat and fry them for 6-7 minutes on each side until well done.
- For the stewed peas and carrots: cut the carrots into cubes. Boil them for 2-3 minutes in enough lightly salted water to just cover them.
- Stir the flour and soft butter into a butter bun. Stir it into the carrots and vegetable water. Let it cook for a few minutes while stirring.
- Add the peas and heat through.
- Sprinkle with chopped parsley when serving.