Danish Pork Patties – or Karbonader – are old school comfort food. They’re what you might call “Mormor mad” in Denmark, which is Grandma food. Grandma food always equals comfort food, and we’re all about comfort food around here, so these are right up our alley. These are something Grandma might have reserved for a special occasion, but they’re great alongside some basic boiled potatoes. They’re homey and juicy and full of flavor.
Traditionally, you start with just ground pork and some salt and pepper. We like to enhance the flavor a little bit, so we throw some onions and garlic powder in ours, along with a little bit of thyme. Those few ingredients brighten things up a bit, but they’re not enough to overwhelm the traditional flavor.
From there, you form them into little patties, smaller than burgers but bigger than a slider…
And coat them in a simple egg wash before dredging them in breadcrumbs…
… and plopping them in a hot pan of oil. In there, they get crispy and crunchy on the outside, while the inside stays oh-so-savory and juicy.
These are incredibly simply to cook up; just take care not to crowd your pan, so they all get just as crispy as they should be. It’s the kind of delicious, comforting food that all grandma’s know about. And Grandma food is always good enough for us!
Breaded Pork Patties
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 2 cups breadcrumbs
- Oil, for frying
Preparation
- Add the ground pork, onion, thyme, and garlic powder to a medium bowl, and season liberally with salt and pepper. Mix to combine, and divide the pork into 8 equal-sized patties.
- In a deep dish, beat the eggs well. In a second deep dish, mix together the breadcrumbs with some more salt and pepper.
- Dredge the pork patties, first in the egg mixture and then in the breadcrumbs, making sure the entire patty is coated in breadcrumbs. If you like a thicker layer of coating, you can repeat the process a second time, but one dredging is usually enough.
- Coat the bottom of a large pan with oil and heat on medium-high. When oil is hot, add patties, taking care not to crowd the pan and cook until golden brown, about 5-8 minutes per side.
Adapted from Nordic Food Living.