Königsberger Klopse
East Prussian meatballs, poached rather than browned, in a lemon-caper sauce finished with egg yolk. Three meats and mashed anchovy in the mix — the anchovy disappears and leaves depth behind. From Back to Basics (Abigail Gehring), by way of German settlers in the Midwest.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ lb ground beef
- ½ lb ground veal
- ½ lb ground pork
- 4 anchovy fillets, mashed
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1 cup soft fresh bread crumbs
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Poaching liquid
- 2 quarts water
- 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
Sauce
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 1 egg yolk, well beaten
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions
Cook the onion in the butter about 10 minutes, until soft. Mix it with the rest of the meatball ingredients and shape gently into 2-inch balls.
Bring the water, sliced onion, bay leaf, and salt to a boil and boil 10 minutes. Add the meatballs and simmer uncovered 20 minutes, until they rise to the surface.
Lift the meatballs onto a platter, cover with foil, and hold in a 250°F oven. Strain the liquid and reserve 2 cups for the sauce.
Heat the butter in a skillet, stir in the flour, and cook gently 1 minute. Off the heat, gradually stir in the reserved liquid, then cook, stirring, until it thickens. Add the lemon juice and capers and cook gently 5 minutes.
Mix the egg yolk with the cream in a small bowl. Stir a few tablespoons of the hot sauce into the egg mixture, then return it all to the pan.
Add the meatballs, cover, and simmer about 5 minutes to cook the yolk. Do not let it boil.
Notes
Poached, not fried — that is the whole point of the dish and what makes them different from kotleti. No crust, a soft interior, and all the flavor carried by the sauce.
Do not skip the anchovy. It does not read as fish in the finished meatball; it reads as salt and depth.
The sauce breaks if it boils after the yolk goes in. Keep it at a bare simmer.
Serve with boiled potatoes and the sauce spooned over.
Photo: Benreis, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.