Meat Patties with Dill

kotlety_zkopDill has been growing like crazy on my balcony, so use it now several times a week. Luckily, it’s one of my favourite herbs, so I cannot complain. Patties were probably among the most frequent dishes my mum cooked. I don’t think she has ever made them with dill, but she would sprinkle dill on top of most dishes (a typical culinary gesture in Poland), especially in spring and summer. This gave me the idea to add the dill to the meat mixture (though of course I didn’t skip the sprinkling final touch either!). The result makes them taste lighter, more refreshing, more summery… and actually quite original in the world of meat patties. Serve them with a yogurt-based sauce for a perfect hot weather meal.

Throughout the years I have slightly changed even the basic meat patties making procedure. First of all, I don’t add raw onion, like my mum did, but stir-fried one (I have found this improvement at Nami’s Just One Cookbook; thank you so much, Nami!!!). Secondly, I make smaller patties (my mum’s have a size of my hand), which cook quicker and are juicier without excessively fatty meat. Last, but not least, I find brushing the patties juste before serving with a mixture of soy sauce and sake, a fantastic flavours enhancer, whatever the seasoning and whatever side dishes I have.

TIPS: These patties taste great with tzatziki, Indian raita or similar yogurt-based sauces/dips.

Here are some other dill use ideas:

Bulgarian Dill Salad (Dry Tarator)
Bulgarian Dill Salad (Dry Tarator)
Pickled Dill Cucumber
Pickled Dill Cucumber
Moomins' Pickled Cucumber Salad
Moomins’ Pickled Cucumber Salad
Polish Brined Cucumber Soup
Polish Brined Cucumber Soup

Preparation: about 40 min – 1 hour

Ingredients (serves 3 as a main course, if served with some carbs, such as potatoes):

500 g ground beef+pork or pork or beef+pork+veal (beef alone becomes too tough)

1 egg

aprrox. 5 heaped tablespoons breadcrumbs (you can use Japanese panko) or 1 slice of toast bread soaked in milk or water and then well squeezed

oil to pan fry

1 medium onion or 3 medium shallots

salt, pepper

1 big handful finely chopped dill (discard only the thick…) + some for decoration

(soy sauce+sake, mixed, to brush over the patties before serving)

In a big bowl combine the meat, the salt, the pepper, the dill, the raw egg and the breadcrumbs.

(If you think the mixture is not thick enough to form patties, add more bread crumbs or soak a small bit of bread (don’t put too much bread/crumbs! it might change the taste and also make them tough).)

Put aside.

In the meantime chop the onion finely and stir-fry until golden.

Add to the meat mixture.

If you have time, you can leave the meat, covered, in the fridge for several hours. This will improve the flavours. However, it’s not necessary and you can proceed directly with frying.

Heat some oil in a pan. Form the patties with wet hands and pan-fry at medium heat, covered, until they are well cooked (because of the pork). It usually takes about 15 minutes for each batch. Covering the pan accelerates the process.

Brush the patties with soy sauce just before serving.

Serve sprinkled with dill and preferably with a yogurt-based sauce.

 

 

 

12 Replies to “Meat Patties with Dill”

    1. Thanks a lot, A_Boleyn. Dill is probably the most often used herb in Poland, so I’ve been eating tons of it as a child… Now I have also discovered Greek cuisine uses it quite often, so I’ve planted more dill this spring. I love it because it goes well with many dishes and always makes them taste light… (even those which are not light 😉 ).

  1. Hi Sissi. I would definitely use ground pork on this recipe of yours as it is more flavorful and succulent. I’m sure this would be perfect in a bun or mini buns like sliders? Have a wonderful week, my friend. 🙂

    1. Hi, Ray. Thank you so much! I’m glad you also like pork (it’s my second favourite meat, after chicken). You are right, they are perfect with buns or any bread really, cold or warm. Have a lovely week too!

  2. These look great. I like to make smaller patties too, and use pork instead of beef. The stir-fried onions is a good idea! I will have to try using dill, don’t use it much at all.

    1. Thanks a lot, Lyndsey. Wow! Another pork fan! I always find beef-only patties (or even burgers) too tough… unless they are very fatty.

  3. Hungarian meat patties or fasirt are generally dry so when my relatives were visiting last June, I made meat patties for our dinner at our annual street party and my cousin was amazed at how moist and flavourful my patties were! I haven’t considered dill but you are right, it would indeed make them very summery and fresh. I wil give it a try next time.

    1. Thank you, Eva. It’s funny but when I google Hungarian patties, they do look dry and/or tough on photographs! It’s weird because Polish ones (kotlety mielone) look much juicier (though I did have horribly tough versions too…), but both technically contain similar ingredients (apart from paprika maybe…). I suppose Hungarians must like them this way!

  4. Sissi, your patties are the image of perfection! They are glistening with juiciness and that gorgeous golden sear on top… my mouth is watering. On the meat side, I tend to make turkey/chicken patties most often but it’s gotten to the point where I have to add fat to the mixture because it’s so hard to find poultry that hasn’t been picked clean of all fat in the supermarket! (poultry already being lean enough). Dill is not an herb I have experimented with in this connection but I suspect it would be so lovely this time of year – adding a distinctive note of freshness. Great choice. You know, I’ve been meaning to feature our go-to mini patties on the blog for years but never thought they could look nearly as appealing as you have made yours! This is greatly inspiring 🙂

    1. Hi, Kelly. Thank you so much! You are very kind. They are however very far from perfection….but the smaller they are the better they look 😉 I know what you mean with minced poultry… My mum makes now patties often from turkey meat; I know it’s minced breast, so no fat, but she shallow-fries them slowly in lots of fat, which makes the switch to poultry not so healthy 😉
      It was also the first time I added dill inside. It was a great idea I’ll stick to throughout the summer or as long as I have dill on my balcony.
      I’m looking forward to seeing your patties. I’m sure yours will be really perfect!

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