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Traditional Latvian Kotletes in a white serving dish with parsley.

Traditional Latvian Kotletes Recipe (Pan-Fried Meat Patties)

Marissa
Classic Latvian kotletes, the pan-fried rissoles made with minced beef and pork, soaked bread, sautéed onion, and egg. Finished low and slow in a covered pan, this is my grandmother’s recipe, served with a mushroom cream sauce made in the same pan.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course dinner, lunch, Mains
Cuisine Baltic, European, Latvian
Servings 12 kotletes
Calories 228 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • For the kotletes:
  • 1 lb minced pork 500 grams
  • 1 lb minced beef 500 grams
  • 1 medium onion finely diced
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 to 4 slices white bread crusts removed
  • 1 cup beef bouillon, completely cold 250ml
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ to ½ tsp black pepper
  • Butter and neutral oil or lard for frying
  • For the mushroom cream sauce:
  • 1 to 2 cups mushrooms sliced
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup cream or sour cream
  • 2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1/2 cup cold water
  • Fresh parsley chopped
  • Knob of butter

Instructions
 

  • Kotletes:
  • Pour the cold bouillon over the bread in a bowl. Soak 5 minutes until the bread falls apart, then mash into a paste.
  • Finely dice the onion and sauté in butter over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Cool.
  • Combine meat, cooled onion, eggs, bread paste, salt, and pepper. Mix by hand until just combined. No food processor.
  • With wet hands, shape into 12 oval patties about 1.5 to 2cm / ¾ inch thick. Refrigerate 15 minutes if very soft.
  • Heat butter and oil in a heavy pan over medium-high heat. Cook patties 5 minutes first side until deeply golden. Don’t move them.
  • Flip and cook 3 to 4 minutes second side.
  • Reduce heat to low, splash of water if needed, cover. Cook 12 to 15 minutes until no pink in center (71°C / 160°F).
  • Transfer to a covered dish. Do not clean the pan.
  • Mushroom sauce:
  • Sauté mushrooms in butter until golden.
  • Add 1 cup water, simmer 3 minutes.
  • Stir in cornstarch mixture until thickened.
  • Add cream, heat through without boiling. Stir in parsley. If using sour cream, add off the heat.
  • Serve with sauce, boiled potatoes with dill, and a simple salad.

Notes

  • Any combination of beef or pork works. Pork makes it a bit more tender.
  • Dry crumb shortcut: ¾ to 1 cup dry breadcrumbs with bouillon added separately to the mixture.
  • For a traditional sauce: sour cream instead of cream, added off the heat.
  • Keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated. Good cold on rye bread. Freezes well.
  • Cheat Version: Mix 1 packet French onion soup mix with 1 cup water and let it cool. Add to ¾ to 1 cup dry breadcrumbs, 1 kg / 2 lb minced beef, and 2 eggs. Mix, shape, and fry as above. No soaking, no onion step.
Note: Nutritional values for kotletes only. They are approximate only.

Nutrition

Calories: 228kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 15gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 307mgPotassium: 252mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 42IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 33mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Easy Latvian kotletes, homemade rissoles recipe easy, how to make kotletes at home, kotletes meal prep ideas, Latvian rissoles recipe, pork kotletes recipe step by step, traditional Latvian kotletes recipe
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