German Meatballs
Difficulty 3/5 Ingredients 17 Steps 13
This is a German meatball recipe that is easy and utterly delicious. These are known in Germany as Konigsberge Klopse, or sometimes as Konigsberger Klopsies.
Ingredients
- 8 oz (225 g) low-fat minced (ground) beef
- 8 oz (225 g) minced (ground) pork
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped fine
- 5 anchovy fillets, chopped finely
- 2 tablespoons capers
- ¼ bottle of Riesling white wine
- 6 fl oz crème fraîche
- 1 tablespoon mixed herbs
- 1 large egg
- 2–3 slices of brown bread or a roll, soaked in water
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 2 limes, zested
- 2 cloves
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- Salt
- Freshly-ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons flour mixed with water to form a paste
Steps
- Combine minced beef and pork.
- Fry chopped onion until translucent. Do not brown. Add to meat.
- Soak brown bread or roll in water. Add to meat.
- Add pepper, salt, chopped anchovy fillets, egg and mixed herbs. Mix by hand.
- Form ¾-inch meatballs. Roll between palms until round. Shape and size need not be uniform.
- Bring at least 2 pints water to a rolling simmer. Add lemon juice, cloves and olive oil. Drop in meatballs gently. Do not overcrowd; cook in 2 batches if needed.
- Remove meatballs with slotted spoon as soon as they rise to surface. Set aside warm.
- Add wine, crème fraîche and flour mixture to water. Cook until reduced a little and thickened into plenty of sauce. Add more flour paste to thicken if needed.
- When sauce begins to thicken, return meatballs. Cook about 10 more minutes.
- At the last moment add capers and lime zest. Adjust seasoning.
- Remove meatballs. Pour sauce through semi-fine sieve.
- Reheat sauce if needed. Return meatballs with a handful of capers.
- Serve.
Notes from the original
- This version of meatballs are best served with boiled, waxy potatoes which can be smashed into the sauce to make it all the more delicious.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:German Meatballs” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2025-06-17, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.