German Meatloaf (Falscher Hase)

German Meatloaf (Falscher Hase)

Course: MainCuisine: GermanDifficulty: Medium

Meatloaf is a dish common to most of the world. This traditional German variant translates directly as “False Rabbit” and hides hard-boiled eggs inside the meatloaf. The strange name refers to the type of pan it would have been cooked in at the beginning of the 20th century.

Ingredients

  • False Rabbit
  • 3 Eggs for Hard Boiling

  • 2 Eggs for the Meat Mixture

  • 500g Ground Meat, preferably 50/50 Beef and Pork

  • 1 Large Onion

  • 1-2 Garlic Cloves

  • Oil for frying

  • 1 Bunch of Parsley

  • 2 Cups of Dark Bread cut into cubes

  • 75-100ml Milk

  • 1Tbsp Mustard, either Dijon or equivalent

  • Salt, Pepper

  • Sauce
  • 2 Carrots

  • 100g Mushrooms

  • 1/4 Celery Root or other root vegetables

  • Oil for Frying

  • 1Tbsp Tomato Paste

  • 300ml Beef Broth

  • 300ml Red wine

  • Flour or Thickener (or finely grate a potato)

  • 40gtButter

  • Salt, Pepper

  • 1tsp Sugar

Directions

  • Meat Portion
  • Start by boiling the three eggs for 7 minutes in already-boiling water. Douse with cold water, then peel
  • Dice the onion, and fry with butter until yellow and translucent. Set aside and let cool completely
  • Warm the milk to room temperature and pour over the bread and let soak
  • Preheat the oven to 190°C
  • Finely chop the parsley and garlic and then gently squeeze the excess milk from the bread and set aside
  • In a large bowl, add the ground beef, cooled onion, parsley, garlic, mustard, the two remaining eggs, and the soaked bread cubes
  • Mix thoroughly with your hands, and add more bread or bread crumbs if the mixture is too liquidy. If it gets too sticky, you can dip your hands in cold water to keep the meat off.
  • For this part, there are several approaches, such as using a thin casserole pan, using a net, or just baking it as a loaf without a form. Start by flattening the meat mixture in a large circle to shape the loaf. Then, place the three boiled eggs in a line across the center, and fold the sides over the eggs. Make sure the eggs are completely covered by the meat and squish the overall shape into the desired form.
  • Bake the meatloaf for 45 minutes on the middle or lower rack
  • Sauce
  • Chop the carrots, mushrooms, and the root vegetables into small cubes
  • Fry over medium heat with butter or olive oil until they begin to brown
  • Add the tomato paste and stir, continuing the roasting until the liquid is evaporated, about three minutes
  • Now add the wine and broth and reduce by at least half
  • Prepare the roux by frying the butter and flour over a low temperature for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Alternatively, grate a potato and fry it with the butter over a low temperature.
  • Add the thickening agent of choice.
  • Use an immersion blender to combine the ingredients into a thicker sauce
  • Add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste
  • Serve over the sliced meatloaf

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