Today we’re heading to Germany—a country where cooking has been elevated to the rank of an honest craft, and every dish carries the warmth of the family hearth and centuries of tradition. We’re making two iconic German dishes known to every family from Bavaria to Hamburg.
A hearty, thick, richly flavored stew-soup in which meat, vegetables, and potatoes simmer together until their flavors become one. It tastes of deep meat broth, tender, almost melting vegetables, and the aroma of smoked meats. This is the quintessence of German homey comfort in a single bowl.
Ingredients:
• Pork shoulder (boneless) — 500 g
• Smoked sausages (such as Mettwurst or any lightly smoked sausages) — 200 g
• Potatoes — 4 large potatoes (about 600 g)
• Carrots — 2 large (about 200 g)
• Celeriac — 150 g
• Yellow onions — 2 medium
• Leek — 1 stalk
• Green beans (fresh or frozen) — 200 g
• Garlic — 3 cloves
• Tomato paste — 2 tablespoons
• Meat stock (or water) — 1.5 liters
• Bay leaves — 2
• Dried thyme — 1 teaspoon
• Dried marjoram — 1 teaspoon
• Salt — to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper — to taste
• Vegetable oil — 2 tablespoons
• Fresh parsley for serving — 1 small bunch
Preparation:
Step 1. Preparing the meat.
Pat the pork shoulder dry with a paper towel and cut it into cubes about 2.5–3 cm across. Don’t cut them too small—large pieces will stay juicy through the long braise. Slice the smoked sausages into 1 cm rounds.
Step 2. Browning the meat.
In a large heavy-bottomed pot (at least 4 liters) or a cauldron, heat the vegetable oil over high heat until it just begins to smoke. Arrange the pork cubes in a single layer without stirring and sear for 3–4 minutes, until a golden-brown crust forms on all sides. The meat should release easily from the bottom—this is the sign of proper caramelization. Remove the meat and set aside.
Step 3. Preparing and sautéing the vegetables.
Dice the onion into 1×1 cm pieces. Peel the carrots and cut into half-moons 5–7 mm thick. Peel the celeriac and cut into 1.5×1.5 cm cubes. Slice the leek into 5 mm rings (use both the white and light-green parts). Finely chop the garlic. In the same pot, sauté the onion over medium heat for 3–4 minutes until translucent, then add the carrots, celeriac, and garlic and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring. The vegetables should soften slightly and begin releasing their aroma.
Step 4. Building the base.
Add the tomato paste to the vegetables and fry for 1–2 minutes, stirring vigorously—the paste should darken by half a shade and take on a faintly caramelized scent. Return the meat to the pot. Pour in the hot stock, then add the bay leaves, thyme, and marjoram. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to the lowest setting. Cover and simmer for 35–40 minutes. The meat should become tender while still holding its shape.
Step 5. Adding the potatoes and sausages.
Peel the potatoes and cut into cubes 2–2.5 cm across. Add the potatoes and smoked sausage rounds to the pot. Stir, adding a little hot water if needed—the liquid should nearly cover all the ingredients. Continue simmering over low heat, covered, for another 20 minutes.
Step 6. The final vegetables.
Add the green beans (if frozen, do not thaw) and the leek rings. Simmer uncovered for another 10–12 minutes. The potatoes should pierce easily with a knife, and some of the cubes should begin to break down slightly, creating the stew’s natural thickness. The beans should be tender but retain a slight bite and their vivid green color.
Step 7. Finishing and serving.
Remove the bay leaves. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. A finished Eintopf should be thick, almost like a stew—the spoon should stand up in it. Let it rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Ladle into deep bowls and generously sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve with slices of fresh rye bread and mustard.
💡 Fact: The word “Eintopf” literally translates as “one pot.” In the 1930s, Germany introduced what was known as “Eintopfsonntag”—“one-pot Sunday”—when Germans were encouraged to make this simple dish instead of a three-course Sunday dinner and donate the money they saved to charity. Since then, Eintopf has become a symbol of German thrift and domestic warmth.
Large, fluffy, incredibly juicy meat patties with a crisp golden crust and a tender, almost airy center. Their flavor is rich and meaty, with subtle notes of nutmeg and mustard. They are served with German potato salad—a classic pairing familiar to every German since childhood.
Ingredients for the Frikadellen:
• Ground pork — 300 g
• Ground beef — 300 g
• Stale white bread roll (or white loaf) — 1 (about 80 g crumb)
• Milk — 100 ml
• Yellow onion — 1 large
• Chicken egg — 1
• Mustard (medium-hot) — 1 tablespoon
• Salt — 1 teaspoon
• Freshly ground black pepper — to taste
• Nutmeg (ground) — a pinch (about 1/4 teaspoon)
• Sweet ground paprika — 1/2 teaspoon
• Fresh parsley — 3–4 sprigs
• Vegetable oil for frying — 3–4 tablespoons
• Butter — 1 tablespoon
Ingredients for German potato salad (Kartoffelsalat):
• Potatoes (a waxy variety, not floury) — 700 g
• Yellow onion — 1 medium
• Cornichons (pickled gherkins) — 4–5
• Meat stock (warm) — 150 ml
• White wine vinegar — 2 tablespoons
• Mustard — 1 teaspoon
• Vegetable oil — 3 tablespoons
• Salt and pepper — to taste
• Green onions — several stalks
Preparation:
Step 1. Soaking the bread.
Cut the crust from the stale bread roll and tear the crumb into small pieces. Pour over the milk and leave for 10–15 minutes. The bread should become fully saturated and turn into a soft, uniform mash. Then squeeze it out with your hands, removing the excess milk. This is the secret to the airy texture of true German Frikadellen.
Step 2. Preparing the onion and herbs.
Peel the onion for the Frikadellen and grate it on a fine grater or chop it as finely as possible—pieces no larger than 2–3 mm, so they completely “dissolve” into the meat. Finely chop the parsley.
Step 3. Mixing the meat.
In a large bowl, combine the ground pork and beef, squeezed bread crumb, grated onion, egg, mustard, chopped parsley, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and paprika. Knead vigorously with your hands for 3–4 minutes, periodically lifting the mixture and throwing it forcefully back into the bowl. The meat should become sticky, uniform, and slightly tacky—this means the proteins have bound together and the Frikadellen will hold their shape. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes—this lets the meat “rest” and makes it more pliable.
Step 4. Shaping.
Wet your hands with cold water. Divide the meat into 6–8 equal portions (each roughly the size of a large egg, 80–100 g). Shape into slightly flattened patties about 2–2.5 cm thick and 8–9 cm in diameter. German Frikadellen are not balls, but proper flat, broad patties. The surface should be smooth, without cracks.
Step 5. Frying the Frikadellen.
In a large heavy skillet, heat the vegetable oil and butter over medium heat. Once the butter stops foaming and begins to shimmer lightly, add the Frikadellen, leaving at least 3 cm between them. Fry over medium heat for 5–6 minutes without touching them, until the underside turns a deep golden brown and the patty releases easily from the pan. Flip with a spatula and fry for another 5–6 minutes. Then reduce the heat to low, cover, and let them cook gently for another 4–5 minutes. When pressed with a spatula, a finished Frikadelle should feel firm, and when cut open, there should be no pink juices inside.
Step 6. Potato salad (southern German style).
Boil the potatoes in their skins in salted water for 20–25 minutes—they should pierce easily with a knife but not fall apart. Drain and let cool for 10 minutes, then peel and slice into rounds 4–5 mm thick. Dice the onion very finely (3 mm). Dice the cornichons finely. In a separate bowl, mix the warm stock, vinegar, mustard, oil, salt, and pepper—this is the dressing. Pour the dressing over the warm potatoes, toss gently, then add the onion and cornichons. Let the salad stand for 15–20 minutes at room temperature. The potatoes should absorb the dressing and become glossy, but not “swim” in liquid.
Step 7. Serving.
Place a portion of warm potato salad on a plate, with 2 hot Frikadellen beside it. Sprinkle the salad with finely sliced green onions. Serve with mustard on the side—Germans prefer medium-hot Bavarian mustard. Frikadellen are also excellent in a bread roll (Brötchen) as street food.
💡 Fact: Frikadellen go by different names in different regions of Germany: in Berlin, they are called “Buletten”; in Cologne, “Frikadellen”; in Bavaria, “Fleischpflanzerl”; and in the Ruhr region, “Frikandellen.” Arguments over the “correct” name are a genuine national sport, almost like debating which city brews the best beer. The recipe itself is virtually identical everywhere and dates back to the French “fricadelles,” which entered German cuisine as early as the 17th century.