Norwegian meatballs were listed in second place last time Norway had a rating of the national dish. The dish is a normal everyday dish that is usually served with boiled potatoes, carrots and cauliflower. It is always served with a brown sauce based on browned butter. So if you’re wondering what to make for dinner the coming week, try a Norwegian specialty.
Norwegian meatballs was listed in second place last time Norway had a rating of the national dish
Now meatballs are famous all over Scandinavia, the in Sweden you can find two versions, one version that is smaller called “kjøtt bullar” these are usually served with a cream sauce. The second one is called “Wallenbergare” these are usually served without sauce but a solid portion of cream and egg yolks are mixed into the meat. The Danish are famous for their “frikadeller”. This is a generic word pointing to any meatball shape either made from meat or fish. Now the later one, made from fish is not exclusive to Denmark and can be found in both Sweden and Norway as well.
Norwegian meatballs ingredients
What makes these meatballs special are the spices used in the recipe. The first one is the nutmeg. This adds a special characteristic to the meat that makes a deep full flavor that mixes well with the full brown sauce. The second ingredient is ground ginger. this adds a tang and a hint of freshness to the recipe.
Side dishes
Now one of the more distinct additions to this recipe is the lingonberry jam. If you are in a place in the world where this jam is hard to get to one tip could be to have a trip to IKEA. This is a small tip I picked up living abroad. The sweet and sour flavor of the lingonberries is absolutely worth a try.
Green pea mash or a kale stew are also great additions for this dish.
Norwegian Meatballs
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Frying pan
- Kettle
- Wisk
- Table spoon
Ingredients
Norwegian Meatballs
- 400 gr ground beef
- 1 tsp Salt
- .5 tsp Black pepper
- .5 tsp Nutmeg (Ground)
- .5 tsp Ginger (ground)
- 2 tbsp potato flour
- 1.5 dl Milk (full fat)
- 1 tbsp Butter (For frying)
Brown sauce
- 6 tbsp Butter (Save two for the final step)
- 4 tbsp Flour
- 1 L Meat stock (brown)
- 1 tsp Black pepper
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
Norwegian Meatballs
- Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly using your hands in a squeezing motion
- Divide the meat into equal-sized balls using a kitchen scale. We usually go for about 50 gr.
- Use a large table spoon and a wet hand (use cold water) to shape the balls
- Immediately transfer to a hot pan with melted butter
- Fry until the surface is brown
- Take the pan off the heat and let rest
Brown sauce
- Melt 4 tbsp of butter in a thick kettle
- Add 4 tbsp of lour
- Heat until a nutty brown color is starting to emerge, while continuously wisking
- Add stock in two portions mixing in continuously
- when all the stock is added let it simmer for 10 minutes
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- transfer the meatballs into the sauce and let them temper in the sauce until your ready to serve
Comments