Bitterballen
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- over 2 hours
- Serve
- Serves 4-6
- Dietary
- Nut-freePregnancy-friendly
These Dutch meatballs are great as a snack, try serving them with chutney or pickled onions.
Ingredients
- olive oil: 2 tbsp olive oil
- : 300g/10½oz minced pork
- onion: ½ onion, very finely chopped
- carrot: 1 carrot, grated
- vegetable oil: vegetable oil, for frying
- nutmeg: 1 tsp grated nutmeg
- parsley: 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
- lemon: 1 lemon, juice and zest
- black pepper: salt and freshly ground black pepper
- butter: 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú butter
- plain flour: 75²µ/2¾´Ç³ú plain flour
- milk: 225ml/8fl oz full-fat milk, warmed
- eggs: 2 free-range eggs, beaten
- breadcrumbs: 125²µ/4½´Ç³ú breadcrumbs
Method
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the minced pork for 4-5 minutes, or until browned all over. Remove the pork from the pan and set aside.
Add the onion and carrot to the pan and fry for 4-5 minutes. Remove from the pan and add to the fried pork. Set aside to cool.
Stir in the nutmeg, parsley and lemon juice and zest and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes. Gradually stir in the warm milk to form a thick sauce.
Add the sauce to the meat mixture and mix until well combined. Set aside to cool.
Once cool, divide the mixture into small balls.
Beat the eggs in a bowl and sprinkle the breadcrumbs onto a plate.
Heat the oil in a deep heavy-based frying pan until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns brown when dropped into it. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
Dip the balls into the egg, then coat in the breadcrumbs. Fry the balls for 3-4 minutes, or until golden-brown. Remove the balls from the pan and set aside to drain on kitchen paper.
Serve with chutney and pickled onions.
