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Norwegian Meatballs

Erken's Norwegian meatballs from 1914: 1 kg trimmed meat and 125 g kidney suet are ground twice with potato starch, salt, and pepper, moistened with about 2.5 dl cold water, shaped into small round cakes, and fried brown in butter or fat; served with browned onions. Boiled potatoes can be ground in to stretch the mixture.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 180 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

Erken's basic recipe for meatballs as it appears in "Stor kokebok" (1914) in the chapter on meat. Kidney suet was used to add juiciness to lean meat, and boiled potatoes could be ground in to "stretch the food" — a common household trick of the era.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Grind the meat

    Cut the meat and kidney suet into small pieces and grind twice. If you want to stretch the mixture, grind in 100 g boiled potatoes during the second grinding.

  2. 2

    Mix the mixture

    Stir in the potato starch, pepper, and salt. Moisten with the cold water a little at a time until the mixture is smooth and pliable.

  3. 3

    Shape the cakes

    Shape small, round cakes on a moistened board with two knives dipped in cold water. Score the cakes lightly on both sides with the knife.

  4. 4

    Fry

    Fry the cakes nicely brown in butter or fat over medium heat, about 4–5 minutes on each side.

  5. 5

    Serve

    Brown the onions in the pan and lay them over the cakes. Serve on the same platter.

Changes from the original

Measurements have been converted to modern units (deciliters, grams, teaspoons), "potetesmel" is called potato starch, and "kidney suet" has been kept with an alternative (can be replaced with fat/butter). The method is written in modern Norwegian and divided into steps; alternatively the ground meat can be bought pre-ground and run once more through a grinder or food processor.

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Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From19141949Modernised
To19141949Modernised
1914 (proofread, p. 180) → Modernised~88% of the text changedremovedadded
1 kg. renskaaret kjøt kg renskåret kjøtt (okse eller blandet). 125 gr. g nyretalg ca. ¼ 1. koldt vand (kan erstattes av annet fett). 2,5 dl kaldt vann (ca.). 10 gr. potetesmel g potetmel. 3 teskeer salt ts salt. 1 teske pepper ts pepper. 100 gr. g smør eller fett. Kjøttet fett (til steking). 100 g kokte poteter (valgfritt, males med kjøttet). 2 stk løk (til brunet løk ved servering). Skjær kjøtt og talgen skjæres smaat nyretalg i småbiter og males kvern det 2 ganger, potetesmelet, ganger. Ønsker du å drøye deigen, males 100 g kokte poteter med i andre gangs kverning.. Rør inn potetmel, pepper og salt røres i, ispædes vandet salt. Spe med det kalde vannet litt efter litt. Paa den fugtede fjæl dannes nu om litt til deigen er jevn og smidig.. Form små, runde kaker på en fuktet fjøl med 2 kniver, dyppet to kniver som dyppes i koldt vand, smaa runde kaker, disse hakkes paa kaldt vann. Hakk kakene lett på begge sider med kniven. Stekes kniven.. Stek kakene pent brune i smør eller fett. Løk brunes fett på middels varme, ca. 4–5 minutter på hver side.. Brun løk i pannen og serveres paa legg den over kakene. Serveres på samme fat. (Se regler for stekning av kjøt.) Til 1 kg. kjøt kan tages 100 gr. kokte poteter, males sammen 2 ganger. Det er godt, og det drøier maten.

Note on Modernised

Mål er omregnet til moderne enheter (desiliter, gram, teskje), «potetesmel» er kalt potetmel, og «nyretalg» er beholdt med alternativ (kan erstattes av fett/smør). Fremgangsmåten er skrevet i moderne norsk og delt i trinn; kjøttdeigen kan alternativt kjøpes ferdig kvernet og kjøres én gang til i kvern eller foodprosessor.

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Frequently asked questions

What meat and fat are used?
1 kg trimmed meat and 125 g kidney suet, cut small and ground twice together. The cakes are fried in 100 g butter or fat.
How do I get the mixture firm enough?
Stir in 10 g potato starch, 3 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper, and moisten with about ¼ liter cold water a little at a time. Shape the cakes on a moistened board with two knives dipped in cold water, and score them on both sides.
Can I stretch the mixture?
Yes, for 1 kg of meat you can add 100 g boiled potatoes ground together with the meat twice. The book says it is good and stretches the food.
What is it served with?
Onions are browned and served on the same platter as the meatballs. The recipe is from Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), p. 180, and makes 6 servings.

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