Elevate Your Meatball Recipe With These Extra Danish-Inspired Ingredients

If you love meatballs and you're an adventurous cook, there's no better way to hone your skills than by trying different meatballs from around the world. Frikadeller, or Danish meatballs, is a savory, easy-to-prepare dish that uses two unique ingredients. The addition of sage and nutmeg sets this recipe apart from other meatball recipes that you might be familiar with.

Frikadeller are pan-friend meatballs made from a combination of pork and either veal or beef. They are more hearty and rugged than Italian or Swedish meatballs, originating from a 1600s German recipe for seasoned sausage. To make them, the meat is mixed with onions, egg, breadcrumbs or rolled oats, and milk, and seasoned with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and sage. It's easy to adapt your own special meatball recipe by just including those two key spices. If you want to go fully Danish, presentation is important. Rather than forming them into perfectly round balls, each meatball gets a flat bottom that makes them easier to pan fry. Once formed, they're chilled in the fridge for about 30 minutes before being fried over medium heat until they form a crust.

While sage and nutmeg are a great way to add more flavor to meatballs, they also give the meat a sweet, earthy, and nutty taste that adds depth to the dish without becoming overwhelmingly spicy. Both spices are very aromatic and potent, and a little goes a long way. Only about ¼ teaspoon each of nutmeg and sage or allspice is required for every two pounds of meat for a balanced flavor profile.

In Denmark, frikadeller can be a main dish or side. If you want to go fully authentic, there's a thick, rich gravy made by adding flour, beef stock, and cream to the pan after cooking the meatballs. At dinner, the meatballs would be served with pickled beets and a classic Scandinavian potato dish like Danish-style potato salad, boiled potatoes, or brændende kærlighed, which is mashed potatoes topped with onions and bacon.

The meatballs can also be served as a smørrebrød, which is an authentic Danish open-faced sandwich made with dense rye bread. Butter both sides of the rye bread and slice your meatballs in halves or thirds. Layer each piece of bread with the meatballs, and top with sliced red onions, radishes, and greens. You can also use pickled beets, pickles, or cucumbers. The sandwich can be topped or served with a remoulade sauce, which is a French dressing made with egg yolks or mayonnaise, oil, vinegar, and mustard. Traditional recipes also incorporate pickles, capers, horseradish, or anchovies.

Alternatively, stick to how you usually serve meatballs, such as the classic Italian way in a tomato-based sauce, but just savor that added spiced undertone that comes from the nutmeg and sage addition.