Ground Chops:
If you’re looking for other European meat recipes, Chicken Kiev, City Chicken (which is actually made from pork), or Veal Milanese are out of this world delicious. But let’s get back to the Minced Cutlets…
What’s so special about Meatballs?
You could probably ask this question… after all, they’re like hamburgers, right? The answer I would give is a final yes and no and/or maybe “it depends” (sorry, this non-committal habit is the lawyer in me).
It must be admitted that Polish meatballs resemble hamburgers in that they are minced meat patties. For this reason, I have heard some people call them “Polish hamburgers”.
However, they differ – and this is not without significance. First of all, they are traditionally made from pork, not beef, which gives them a specific taste and texture. Then their meat is seasoned in a similar way to Italian meatballs… which I will show below.
In fact, in my opinion, Polish meatballs are much more similar to Italian meatballs than American hamburgers. But why are they so special? Because they are crispy on the outside, soft and extremely aromatic on the inside, they can be eaten warm for dinner or cold in a sandwich. If you serve them without any sauce, they also melt in your mouth. Minced cutlets make themselves. Review: My 8-year-old can’t get enough of them….
Here’s what you’ll need to make Polish meatballs
Meat: traditionally made with ground pork (probably because it was readily available), but can be made with beef, veal or a combination of the three, or even ground turkey
Bread: you will need stale bread or rolls (I like Kaiser rolls) which you will soak in milk – this technique creates super moist meatballs
Milk: This is needed to soak the bread, as I mentioned above
Eggs: These will bind the meatballs beautifully
Flavorings: you will need onion (fresh, chopped or fried) and optional parsley (I personally love it because it adds an extra layer of flavor)
Spices: Salt and pepper are a must, but you can add other spices such as garlic powder, dried onion, dried mustard, or Maggie (a liquid condiment popular in Europe; similar to soy sauce)
Breadcrumbs: You’ll need this to coat the meatballs before frying; this helps create their characteristic crunchy outer layer
Frying oil: use any odorless edible oil, e.g. rapeseed
Preparing meatballs is extremely simple
Here’s just an overview to help you understand how to make these cutlets, but scroll down to the printable recipe card for detailed instructions:
- First you need to soak the bread. Just break the bread into small pieces. Then add some milk to them. Set aside for 10-15 minutes.
- If you want to use fried onion, now is a good time to make it: just pour a tablespoon of oil into the pan, add the chopped onion and fry until it turns transparent.
- Chop the parsley.
- Put all the ingredients into a large bowl: meat, onion, squeezed bread, parsley, eggs and spices.
- Mix gently, being careful not to overmix.
- Form patties into ovals and flatten them (if they are not too thick you can just fry them in a pan, but if they are thicker you may need to put them in the oven to make sure they are fully cooked).
- Sprinkle the cutlets with breadcrumbs.
- Heat a little oil in a pan. Then add the meatballs. Don’t overfill them. Cook each side for minimum 4 minutes. You can check one, cut it, and see if they require additional time in the oven (I would use 350F for about 10-15 minutes for this).
- Repeat with the remaining meatballs and enjoy
Serving meatballs Polish style
Potatoes dominate the Polish way of eating meat. So these super tasty cutlets are usually served with mashed potatoes (like my mashed potatoes with brown butter and dill) and some kind of vegetarian salad on the side (like cucumber salad, cabbage salad or beetroot salad).
But any type of potato will do. I definitely recommend these parsley potatoes as they are out of this world delicious and go together nicely.
I usually eat mine with cucumber salad. If you don’t feel like cucumber salad, maybe carrot salad will be better for you. If you’re a fan of coleslaw, this will definitely work as well.
But don’t forget that meat and potatoes with salad are also a main items in any dinner menu. Soup always comes first.
