Bitterballen
By Laura Rege
Bitterballen (plural of bitterbal) are popular Dutch snacks. Breaded and fried and most often made with meat and gravy, we like to think of them as a cross between a croquette and a meatball. The beef can be chopped or shredded, and often times, cuts typically used for stews are used. Here, we used ground beef to cut down on prep time. The key step: refrigerating the mixture until it's set into a scoop-able mixture that can be breaded.
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- Yields:
- 30
- Prep Time:
- 10 mins
- Total Time:
- 2 hrs
Ingredients
For bitterballen:
- 1 tbsp.
extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lb.
ground beef
- 1
small yellow onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
- 6 tbsp.
unsalted butter
- 6 tbsp.
all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 c.
low-sodium beef broth
- 2 tbsp.
finely chopped parsley leaves, plus more for serving
- 1/4 tsp.
freshly grated nutmeg
For coating:
- 1/2 c.
all-purpose flour
- 3
large eggs
- 3/4 c.
finely ground breadcrumbs
Canola oil, for frying
Spicy mustard, for serving
Directions
- Step 1Make the bitterballen: heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add the oil, ground beef, and onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until beef is browned, about 8 minutes. Scrape beef mixture onto a plate.
- Step 2Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add the butter and flour and cook, stirring, until combined and flour is lightly toasted, about 2 minutes.
- Step 3While stirring, add the beef broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until very thick, about 1 minute.
- Step 4Remove from the heat and stir in the ground beef mixture, onion, parsley, and nutmeg. Scrape the meat mixture into a large bowl, cover, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.
- Step 5Scoop and roll chilled meat mixture into balls.
- Step 6Make the coating: Prepare breading station with three large mixing bowls: one bowl with flour, beat the eggs in another, and the third bowl with breadcrumbs. Coat each meatball in flour and shake off excess. Then, dip each into egg mixture and then into bread crumb mixture.
- Step 7Heat 1-inch oil in a large cast iron skillet until hot. Working in batches, carefully place breaded meatballs in hot oil. Cook, turning halfway through, until golden, about 4 minutes. Remove as done with a kitchen spider or slotted spoon to a wire rack or paper towel lined plate and season with salt immediately.
- Step 8Serve sprinkled with more parsley with mustard on the side.
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