Romanian meatballs (Chiftele)

Romanian Meatballs, known as "Chiftele" is one of the most popular Romanian dishes. These meatballs are flavorful and satisfying that are made with ground pork, with shredded potatoes and lots of fresh herbs

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time45 mins

Equipment

12-inch Cast Iron Skillet

Glass Mixing Bowl Set (3 piece)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 small onions or 1 large one, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic finely minced

2 pounds ground pork

2 medium potatoes grated

2 large eggs

½ cup breadcrumbs I used Panko

½ teaspoon salt or to taste

½ teaspoon pepper or to taste

¼ cup parsley finely chopped

¼ cup dill fresh, finely chopped

oil for frying

Instructions

Heat the tablespoon of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic and sauté until tender. Add the grated potato and cook for a few minutes until it becomes tender. Let this cool.

In a large bowl, add the onion/potato mixture, ground pork, eggs and breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, add the chopped parsley, chopped dill and mix well.

Form the meat mixture into about 30 meatballs or small patties. They don’t need to be perfect, but they should all be about the same size and shape for even cooking.

Heat a few tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Then add the meatballs and cook them for about 6 to 8 minutes turning them every few minutes until they are brown on all sides. Then transfer the cooked meatballs to a paper towel-lined plate. You most likely need to fry them in batches so you don’t crowd your pan.

Serve over mashed potatoes with a tossed salad.

Notes

Recipe will yield about 30, give or take a few, depending on the size of your meatballs.

Cool the potatoes. You must wait until the cooked potato mixture cools before making the meat mixture. The hot potatoes will begin to cook the meat and possibly burn your hands too.

Adjust the egg. Add a bit more egg if your meat mixture is too dry to form into meatballs. But if it’s too wet just add a little more of the breadcrumbs.

Use a cookie scoop. You can use a small cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to portion out the meat mixture. It’s an easy way to make your meatballs uniform for even cooking.