Oktoberfest in Munich Germany officially starts tomorrow! It’s the world’s largest Volkfest, a combination of beer and folk festival in German-speaking countries. Besides traditional lederhosen and dirndl costumes, there is copious amounts of beer and plenty of food to go along with the beer.
One of the traditional rustic foods served in the beer tents is Frikadellen, a Hamburg, Germany specialty and the inspiration for the hamburger. It is ground meat, usually a mix of beef and pork, combined with onions, bread, egg, and seasonings. The specific seasonings used differ between regions in Germany and Austria. Once combined, the mixture is shaped into a large meatball then flattened and pan fried.
The secret to light and fluffy Frikadellen is soaking a stale, crusty roll in water for a bit, then wringing out the water and crumbling the roll into the ground meat with the rest of the ingredients. Frikadellen is historically served with mustard and a side of potato salad. We prefer to eat Frikadellen in a bun with all the fixin’s when we celebrate Eric’s German heritage during Oktoberfest!
German Hamburgers
German Hamburgers (adapted from allrecipes.com) Total Time Required: 40 minutes, Prep Time: 20 minutes, Cook Time: 10 minutes, Additional Time: 10 minutes, Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 kaiser roll
- 12 ounces ground beef
- 4 ounces ground pork
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon Hungarian hot paprika
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- mustard, rolls, lettuce, pickled onions, tomatoes, and curry ketchup for serving
Directions:
Soak the kaiser roll in a medium bowl of water for 10 minutes. Drain the bowl and squeeze the excess water out of the roll then crumble it into a large bowl. Add the ground meats, onion, parsley, egg, paprika, salt, and black pepper to the crumbled roll.
Add the ground meats, onion, parsley, egg, and seasonings to the crumbled roll.
Mix the burger ingredients together until well blended. Shape the mixture into large, flattened meatballs.
Shape the ground meat mixture into flattened meatballs.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Fry the meatball patties in the hot skillet until they are browned and no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes per side, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a patty reads at least 160ºF.
Cook the burgers to an internal temperature of 160ºF.
Serve the hamburgers with mustard for dipping or on rolls with the desired toppings.
Serve on rolls with toppings.
An Guad’n! ~Linda
German Hamburgers (adapted from allrecipes.com) Total Time Required: 40 minutes, Prep Time: 20 minutes, Cook Time: 10 minutes, Additional Time: 10 minutes, Makes: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
- 1 kaiser roll
- 12 ounces ground beef
- 4 ounces ground pork
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon Hungarian hot paprika
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- mustard, rolls, lettuce, pickled onions, tomatoes, and curry ketchup for serving
Directions:
Soak the kaiser roll in a medium bowl of water for 10 minutes. Drain the bowl and squeeze the excess water out of the roll then crumble it into a large bowl.
Add the ground meats, onion, parsley, egg, paprika, salt, and black pepper to the crumbled roll. Mix the burger ingredients together until well blended. Shape the mixture into large, flattened meatballs.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Fry the meatball patties in the hot skillet until they are browned and no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes per side, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a patty reads at least 160ºF.
Serve the hamburgers with mustard for dipping or on rolls with the desired toppings.