Austrian meat dumplings (fleisch knödel)
- Published: 16 Feb 16
- Updated: 18 Mar 24
Lizzie Kamenetzky’s recipe for Austrian meat dumplings, or fleisch knödel, uses potato dough and breadcrumbs for a crunchy finish.
- Makes 20
- Hands-on time 35 min, simmering time 20-30 min, plus chilling
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 500g mixed cooked and cured meats (leftover roast pork, lamb or chicken, cooked sausages or cured salami)
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- Handful fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped
- 500g medium floury potatoes (such as maris piper), unpeeled
- 25g plain flour
- 70g rice flour
- 15g fine polenta
- 1 medium free-range egg
- 100g unsalted butter, melted
- 150g fine dry breadcrumbs
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Mayonnaise, mixed with grated horseradish from a jar, to serve
You’ll also need
- Food processor
- Digital probe thermometer
Method
- Heat the oil in a small frying pan and fry the onion until soft and lightly golden. Leave to cool, then put into the bowl of a food processor with the meat, a good grating of nutmeg and the parsley. Whizz to a coarse mixture. Shape into about 20 small walnut-size balls. Cover and chill.
- Put the potatoes in their skins in a pan of cold salted water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20-30 minutes (depending on size) until tender when pierced with a small knife. Drain and, when cool enough to handle, peel off their skins, then mash the flesh into a bowl using a potato ricer (or push through a large-holed sieve or strainer). Mix with the flours, polenta, egg and butter, then season. Once you have a smooth dough, shape into a log. Wrap in cling film and chill for 2 hours.
- Put the breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl, then cut the dough into 20 even pieces (about 60g each). Flatten each piece of dough a little, then wrap around each of the meatballs and coat all over with the breadcrumbs.
- Pour oil into a large pan to a depth of 6cm and heat to about 170°C when tested with a digital probe thermometer. Fry, in batches, for 4-5 minutes, turning, until golden brown and crisp all over. Serve with horseradish mayonnaise.
- Recipe from January 2016 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 87kcals
- Fat
- 10.3g (4g saturated)
- Protein
- 8.2g
- Carbohydrates
- 14.9g (1g sugars)
- Fibre
- 0.9g
- Salt
- 0.3g
delicious. tips
If you want to boil the knödel in the traditional manner, don’t coat them in breadcrumbs in step 3. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, then simmer them for 10 minutes until puffed up
An easy-going, good-value côtes du rhône villages red.
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