kjøttkaker med brunost

Norwegian Meat Cakes in Gjetost Cheese Sauce

kjøttkaker med brunost

Norwegian Meat Cakes in Gjetost Cheese Sauce

I was first served this dish by a friend in a beautiful little town called Vormsund in southeast Norway. It wasn't touted as anything special; it's the sort of thing any mom might whip up for supper on a busy weeknight. But I thought it was fabulous and I had to have the recipe. As you might guess, there was no recipe. The following week we made it together.

Reindeer meat was mixed with spices, egg, milk, and breadcrumbs, and then formed into football shaped patties. They were fried in butter and then simmered in beef stock. The sauce was finished with sour cream and gjetost cheese, and graced with a spoonful of lingonberry preserves.

Back in the States, I had to improvise. My local Orlando supermarket was fresh out of ground reindeer. Not to worry; Although it's not quite so exotic, Norwegians most often make kjøttkaker with ground beef. Venison works beautifully as well, and I've also made them with ground lamb. But again, beef is the most common way.

 

If you keep kosher however, this recipe isn't for you. The combination of meat and dairy is forbidden under Jewish law. And, obviously, if you're vegetarian it's not for you, either.

 

Or it wasn't, back then...

 

Enter plant-based meat substitutes. My kjøttkaker came out great when made with a pound of impossible burger. Vegetarian and kosher!

Now everyone can enjoy kjøttkaker!

Gjetost, or brown cheese as it's often called, is made from cooking down the (goat’s milk) whey that's generally poured off in the cheese making process. Norwegian kids down the stuff the way American kids eat peanut butter. It's the color of caramel—soft and buttery and sweet, and also a bit tangy. I love it, especially when it's stuffed inside a Norwegian waffle. (Which, by the way, is eaten in hand like a taco, and never flat on a plate with maple syrup.) Not every grocery store carries this cheese, but if you have a Whole Foods near you, they always have it in stock. It's not certified kosher, but it's rennet-free and not traif. You can also find it on Amazon. Get the regular, in the red package, not the ekte, as it's too strong for this dish.

 

Many Norwegian cooks use potato starch in their kjøttkaker, but others use bread crumbs. I've made them both ways and prefer making them with bread crumbs, as it gives them a lighter texture. And, although this is not the reason I use the bread crumbs, it also makes the meat go further.

 

It's common to simmer the fried meat cakes in stock and to then remove them from the stock and add a roux to the stock to make the gravy. I've simplified the process. When the meat cakes are browned on both sides, I remove them from the pan. Then I make a roux with butter and flour in the same pan, add the stock and spices, and then return the meat cakes to the pan to simmer for 15 minutes. I stir in the rest of the ingredients for the sauce at the end.

 

I think that there's a law, written somewhere, that says you must serve kjøttkaker with boiled potatoes. It's also very common to serve creamed cabbage on the side, but other vegetables are sometimes used.

Norwegian Meat Cakes in Brown Cheese Sauce

Kjøttkaker med Brunost

(This recipe can be doubled, but you don't need to double the sauce.

1.5 times the recipe for the sauce will be about right.)

 

Ingredients:

for the meat cakes

  • 1 pound impossible™ ground beef, or actual ground beef (or venison, or reindeer)

  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4—1/2 teaspoon each, to taste: nutmeg, ginger, and cardamom

  • a few turns of the pepper mill

  • 1 clove garlic, minced (not traditional, but I put garlic in almost everything)

  • 1 egg

  • 2/3 cup bread crumbs

  • 1/2 cup milk

  • butter for frying

  • parsley for garnish, optional

 

for the sauce

  • 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) butter

  • 1/4 cup flour

  • 1/3 cup red wine or sherry, optional

  • 3 cups stock (meat stock, or 3 teaspoons no-chicken or no-beef bouillon and 3 cups water)

  • a dash of Kitchen Bouquet™—optional, but especially good if using a light colored stock

  • 1/4 teaspoon (or to taste) nutmeg, ginger, and cardamom

  • 6 juniper berries, bruised with the flat side of a chef's knife

  • a few twists of the pepper mill

  • 1/2 onion, left intact

  • 4 slices (or so) gjetost (Norwegian brown cheese), sliced with a cheese plane

  • 1/4—1/3 cup sour cream

  • 2–3 tablespoons lingonberry preserves

 

Method:

for the meat cakes

  • Combine all ingredients for the meat cakes in a bowl and knead them well, with wet hands. If the mixture feels too loose, add a bit more bread crumbs. If it's too dry, add a bit more milk. It should be soft, but hold together. If you're really adverse to using your hands, you can do this in a stand mixer.

  • Make football-shaped patties, using an ice cream scoop as a measure—or make them smaller if you'd like.

  • In a large skillet, fry the patties in butter, flattening them out a bit when you put them in the pan. When they're browned on the bottom, turn them, and brown them on the other side. Then remove them from the pan. Note: don't worry about the patties being cooked through. They'll cook further in the sauce.

  • Meanwhile, peel your potatoes and boil them in salted water until tender but still firm. The number of potatoes will depend upon their size, and the number of people at the table.

  • Make the creamed cabbage, or steam any vegetables (or combo) that you'd like to use. Carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower work well.

  • Make the sauce according to the directions below. When the sauce is bubbling, put the onion in the center of the pan, cut side down. Add the meat cakes back to the pan, arranging them around the onion. Cover the pan and simmer over a low flame for 15 minutes.

  • Remove the cover and discard the onion.

  • Push the kjøttkaker to the side and add the sour cream, brown cheese, and lingonberries to the sauce. Stir gently to combine, without breaking the patties.

  • Cook for a few minutes more, for the flavors to marry. Taste for seasoning. If the gravy is too thin, simmer it for a few more minutes, uncovered, until thickened. If it's too thick, thin it with a bit more stock.

  • Serve the kjøttkaker in their gravy, with the potatoes, and sprinkle them with a little chopped parsley for color. Serve the vegetables alongside the meat and potatoes. Offer additional lingonberry preserves in a nice little bowl.

 

for the sauce

  • Fry the kjøttkaker in butter on both sides and remove them from the skillet.

  • Melt the butter in the pan and add the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until the flour begins to turn golden.

  • Add the wine or sherry if using, and cook, stirring, until it's mostly evaporated.

  • Slowly pour in the stock, stirring constantly, until the sauce is well combined and simmering gently. Stir in the spices.

  • Place the 1/2 onion in the center of the skillet, cut side down, and add the kjøttkaker back into the sauce. Cover the pan and simmer, gently, for 15 minutes.

  • Uncover the pan and remove the onion. If you can find the juniper berries in the sauce, remove them, too. If you can't, just let diners know that they're to be pushed to the side and not eaten.

  • Push the kjøttkaker to one side of the pan so that they’re out of the way, and stir the sour cream, the brown cheese, and the lingonberries into the sauce. Stir gently so as not to damage the kjøttkaker.

  • Let the mixture cook for a few minutes more, until the sauce is thickened and homogenous. If it's too thick, add a bit more stock.

  • Serve the kjøttkaker with the boiled potatoes and their gravy, and with the vegetable of your choice on the side. Sprinkle with chopped parsley for color.