Kroppkakor - Carolina Nelson Danielson

Revised by Marian Danielson Pearson, Carolina’s granddaughter

8 to 10 medium potatoes (2 ½ lbs.)
1 T salt
¾ lb. lean ground pork (pork shoulder)
1/3 cup minced onion
¼ tsp. salt
dash pepper
2 eggs
1 cup flour
additional flour for kneading
4 quarts water
1 T salt
butter
oleo

Peel and boil potatoes with the salt. Drain and mash and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine ground pork, onion, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Shape into 12 meat patties and fry in heavy skillet. Drain and set aside.

When potatoes are cool, measure five cups into a large mixing bowl. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Add flour gradually and keep mixing. Take out 1/12 of the dough and place on floured board. With floured hands, knead with more flour until not sticky and shape into a 2 ½ inch patty. Place the dough in your hand, put one meat patty in center, and work dough all around it, sealing all edges. Place on the floured board and using more flour, flatten and then place on floured plate while making the remaining eleven.

In a large heavy kettle, bring the 4 quarts water and salt to a rolling boil and drop 4 kroppkakors gently into the boiling water. Maintain gentle boil. After they rise to the top of water, cook for five minutes, turning once. Lift carefully, with large slotted spoon, onto a warm platter, and then cook the remainder in the same manner.

Serve immediately with butter, or cool, covered, and fry in oleo until golden and crisp on both sides. Serves 5 or 6, unless Uncle Wally is present.

Carolina served this dish warm from the boiling water on Christmas Eve and then sent some home with each family to fry on Christmas morning. Her husband, Thure, would always say, “Well, I never eat more than two, but tonight I will make it three, since they’re extra good, Ma!” (He ate three every year.)

Note: In Sweden, goose meat was most often used as the filling instead of the pork presently used.