After posting the kohlrabi and white sauce recipe last week, a few people have asked about those little hash-brown looking things served on the side. So here is how to make them! Here is the Tub to Table recipe for vegetarian frikadellen.
These little German-inspired patties are made with potatoes and are absolutely addictive. Traditional frikadellen are made with meat and are basically like a flattened meatball. They may have been the source of inspiration for what we today call hamburgers. Since I wanted to make it a vegetarian recipe, I actually combined a few german frikadellen recipes and a few Indian perkedel recipes. They are surprisingly fast and easy to put together and oh so delicious, almost like a ball of hash-brown.
You can use any type of potato you like, but the best types are a bit drier like a russet, rather than a yukon gold. And click on either of the recipes above if you would rather try either recipe more traditionally, with meat.
Vegetarian Frikadellen
Course: SidesCuisine: German, VegetarianDifficulty: Medium4
servings40
minutes40
minutes1
minuteEnjoy these German Potato patties served with red cabbage and kohlrabi.
Ingredients
1000 g of potatoes, washed and peeled (about 4 cups of potatoes)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, peeled and diced
3 green onions, including the greens, diced
1 Tbsp ground paprika
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 egg
1 tsp salt or more, to taste
1 tsp ground black pepper
vegetable or olive oil for frying (approximately 3-4 cups)
Directions
- Peel and cut the potatoes into quarters and steam or boil for 15-20 minutes or until soft. Drain the potatoes, place them in a large bowl, and mash with a fork while still warm. Allow the potatoes to sit for at least 10 minutes to get as dry as possible.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp oil over medium high heat in a medium skillet. Add the shallots and cook over medium high heat until crispy being careful not to burn them. Place the crispy shallots and the raw green onions into the large bowl with the potatoes and mix thoroughly. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Add a bit more salt than you think you might need at this point, as it tends to get absorbed in the cooking process. Add the paprika, corn starch and egg and mix again until just combined.
- Shape into balls and then flatten slightly into patties approx 2″ in diameter and put in the fridge without covering (so they can get as dry as possible) for 1 hour (or even overnight).
- In a large cast iron skillet, heat about 1″ of olive or vegetable oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot and working in batches, deep fry the patties until golden brown on one side, about 2-3 minutes. Then carefully scrape the brown side up from the skillet and flip over to the other side. Fry until golden brown for another 2-3 minutes. Place on absorbent paper towel, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.
Notes
- This dish doesn’t seem to dirty the frying oil much, so it can be strained and re-used to fry another day.
Related Posts:
Kohlrabi with White Sauce
Growing kohlrabi, or German Turnips, in the Tub Garden, even though I never planned on it. Plus some suggestions how to prepare it.
Omi’s Spinach Pie
Omi’s recipe for this authentic German dinner. A family favorite.
