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klopse recipe with capers and white sauce.
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5 from 2 votes

German Meatballs in Caper Sauce - Königsberger Klopse

Königsberger Klopse – delicate German meatballs in white sauce with capers, a traditional German dish served with boiled potatoes and vegetables.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Meat Recipes
Cuisine: German
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 786kcal
Author: Adina

Ingredients

German meatballs:

  • 1 medium onion about 150 g/ 3.5 oz
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 9 oz ground beef 250 g
  • 9 oz ground pork 250 g
  • 4 oz white bread without crust 120 g
  • 1 egg, large
  • 1 small bunch parsley
  • 1 tablespoon capers from a jar
  • 1 teaspoon anchovy paste Note
  • fine sea salt and white pepper
  • 4 ¼ cup beef broth 1 liter

Caper sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon capers from a jar
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 cup crème Fraiche 125 g
  • 1 cup dry white wine 250 ml
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • fine sea salt and white pepper

Instructions

Königsberger Klopse:

  • Cook onions: Chop the onion very finely. Heat the butter in a nonstick pan and cook the onions until translucent. Set aside and let cool until you prepare the rest of the ingredients for the meatballs.
  • Heat broth: While you prepare the meatballs, start heating the broth in a relatively wide pot.
  • Meatballs: Soak the white bread in some water. Squeeze the bread well to remove the excess water and place it in a bowl. Add the ground meat, onions, egg, chopped parsley, finely chopped capers, anchovy paste, and generously salt and pepper.
    Mix well with the wet hand until the mixture is very smooth. To make sure that the meatballs have enough salt, place a very small one in the simmering broth and taste it. Add more anchovy paste, salt, and pepper, if necessary.
  • Cook the meatballs: Form the meatballs with wet hands (about 20) and cook them for about 10 minutes in the simmering broth. Remove from the broth with a slotted spoon and keep warm.
  • Measure broth: Sieve the broth through a fine-mesh sieve and measure out ½ liter/ 17 fl. oz/ 2 cups, which you will need for the sauce. Use the remaining stock to make a soup or something else the next day.

Caper white sauce:

  • Make the roux: Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pan. Sprinkle the flour in the pan and cook shortly while whisking. Slowly add the sieved broth while whisking constantly.
  • Simmer sauce: Bring to a boil and add the finely chopped capers, lemon juice, crème Fraiche, white wine, and sugar. Add salt and white pepper to taste. Let simmer on a very low flame for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat.
  • Thicken sauce: Stir the egg yolks with 1 tablespoon water, add 2 tablespoons of the sauce and stir well. Pour the mixture into the sauce in the pan while whisking continuously.
  • Simmer meatballs: Add the meatballs to the sauce and let simmer on very low heat for 10 minutes without letting the sauce come to a bubble anymore.
  • Serve immediately with boiled potatoes and vegetables. We had peas, but traditionally you would serve cooked beetroots.

Notes

Optional, but very recommendable. The meatballs will not taste fishy; the anchovy paste only adds a slight saltiness and depth of flavor.

Nutrition

Serving: 5meatballs with sauce | Calories: 786kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 316mg | Sodium: 2247mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g