Kyllingefrikadeller med Dildsovs

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large heavy frying pan
• •Medium saucepan
• •Whisk
• •Box grater for the onion

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the frikadeller

   Combine the chicken mince, grated onion, egg, flour, salt, and white pepper in a large bowl. Pour in the cold sparkling water and mix everything together with a fork until the mixture is smooth and slightly loose. It should look wetter than you'd expect. That's right. The sparkling water does two things: the bubbles create tiny air pockets that survive the frying, and the extra liquid keeps the chicken mince from turning dense and dry. Let the mixture rest in the fridge for fifteen minutes. The flour absorbs the liquid and the mixture firms up just enough to shape.

   Grate the onion, don't chop it. Grated onion dissolves into the mixture and gives flavour without leaving chunks that interrupt the texture.
2. 2

   Shape the frikadeller

   Wet your hands with cold water. Take a generous tablespoon of the mixture and shape it into a slightly flattened oval, about the size of a small egg. They're not round. Danish frikadeller are always oval and slightly flat, because the flat sides give you more surface in contact with the pan, and more surface means more crust. You should get about sixteen from this amount. Set them on a plate as you go.

   Keep wetting your hands between each one. The mixture is sticky by nature, and wet hands stop it from clinging to your palms.
3. 3

   Fry in butter and oil

   Heat the butter and oil together in a large heavy frying pan over medium heat. When the butter foams and the foam begins to settle, lay the frikadeller in without crowding the pan. Work in two batches if you need to. Crowding drops the temperature, and instead of a golden crust you get pale, steamed meatballs. Fry for three to four minutes on the first side without moving them. The underside should be deep golden brown. Turn carefully with a spatula and cook for another three minutes on the other side. The centres will finish in the sauce.

   Resist the urge to move them too soon. If a frikadelle sticks when you try to turn it, it isn't ready. When the crust has set, it releases itself.
4. 4

   Start the dill sauce

   Transfer the fried frikadeller to a warm plate. In the same pan or a clean saucepan, melt the second portion of butter over medium heat. Add the flour and stir constantly for one minute. You're cooking the raw taste out of the flour without browning it. The roux should be pale and sandy, bubbling gently. It will smell like warm biscuits.

   Using the same pan catches the golden bits left from frying. Those are concentrated flavour. If the pan has darkened beyond golden, use a clean saucepan instead. Burnt butter turns a sauce bitter.
5. 5

   Build the sauce

   Pour the chicken stock in slowly, a splash at a time, whisking constantly. Each addition should be fully incorporated before you add the next. This is how you get a smooth sauce with no lumps. Once all the stock is in, add the milk or cream and bring everything to a gentle simmer. Let it cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season with salt, white pepper, and the white wine vinegar. The vinegar is a small addition but it lifts the whole sauce, cutting through the richness and bringing the dill flavour forward.

6. 6

   Finish with dill

   Return the frikadeller to the sauce and let them simmer gently for five minutes. This finishes cooking the centres through and lets the meatballs absorb some of the sauce. Stir in the chopped dill right at the end, off the heat. Dill loses its brightness if it cooks too long. You want it fresh and green, tasting like the herb garden, not like stewed grass. Taste the sauce one last time. Adjust the salt. Serve in a wide bowl over new potatoes or parsley potatoes, with the sauce spooned generously over everything. Tak for mad.

Chef Tips

• •Use chicken thigh mince if you can get it. Breast mince is leaner but dries out even with the sparkling water. Thigh meat has just enough fat to stay tender and actually taste of something. If you can only find breast mince, add an extra tablespoon of melted butter to the mixture.
• •The sparkling water must be cold and freshly opened. Flat water that was once sparkling is just water. The carbonation is the whole point, and cold holds more bubbles than warm.
• •Make a test frikadelle before you shape the whole batch. Fry one small piece in a corner of the pan, taste it, and adjust the seasoning in the mixture. It's easier to add salt now than to wish you had once everything is cooked.
• •If you have dill left over, chop it and freeze it in ice cube trays with a splash of water. Frozen dill keeps its colour and works well in sauces and soups through the winter.

Advance Preparation

• •The frikadeller mixture can be made up to a day ahead and kept covered in the fridge. The resting time actually improves the texture, as the flour fully hydrates and the flavours develop.
• •Fried frikadeller without sauce keep well in the fridge for two days. Reheat them gently in the freshly made sauce. Don't make the sauce ahead with the dill already in it. The dill loses its colour and its soul overnight. Stir it in just before serving.
• •The frikadeller freeze well after frying. Cool completely, freeze flat on a tray, then transfer to a bag. Reheat from frozen in a simmering sauce for ten minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)