Christmas Meatballs with Lingonberry Red Cabbage and Gingerbread Beer Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 firm potatoes
• 250 ml plant oil
• Salt
• 1 head of red cabbage
• 1 onion
• 1 untreated orange
• 2 tbsp clarified butter
• 75 ml red wine vinegar
• a pinch sugar
• a pinch cloves powder
• 1 star anise
• lingonberries (jar)
• 1 stale roll
• 600 g mixed ground meat
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp medium-hot mustard
• black pepper (ground)
• 20 g clarified butter
• 1 gingerbread sauce cookie
• 250 ml light beer
• 1 tsp allspice powder
• 1 tsp cloves powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cinnamon stick

Instructions

1. 1.

   For the potato mash, peel, wash and cut the potatoes into fine strips or shave them. Rinse well in a sieve and pat dry on kitchen paper. Heat 250 ml plant oil in a pan and fry the potato strips until golden yellow. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and season with salt.

2. 2.

   For the red cabbage, clean the cabbage, cut into fine strips, wash and drain. Peel and finely dice the onion. Heat clarified butter and sauté the cabbage and onion. Add vinegar and 100 ml water, then add the spices. Simmer the cabbage for about 30‑40 minutes. Near the end of cooking, peel, dice the orange, add it to the cabbage and cook together for about 10 more minutes.

3. 3.

   Season with lingonberries and salt. Preheat the oven to 100 °C (top and bottom heat). Soak the roll in cold water. Mix the ground meat with the egg, mustard and well‑drained roll, season with salt and pepper. Shape the mixture into patties and sear them all over in hot clarified butter until crisp. Remove and keep warm in the preheated oven. Crumble the gingerbread cookie finely, add it to the pan fat, deglaze with beer, add the spices and simmer on medium heat for 10‑15 minutes. Taste again and serve together with the red cabbage and meatballs on warmed plates, garnished with potato mash.