They look like a hamburger but taste like a meatball. These pork patties, known as kotlety mielone in Polish, will surprise you with their flavour and simplicity.
This is one of my absolute favourite dishes in the whole world. It is so simple and so tasty and it just screams comfort food to me. You may think this will taste like a hamburger but I promise you that it is nothing like it. The pork makes the patties so juicy and the flavours could not be further from a burger.
The best part about this dish is that it’s very cheap to make. I did the math and 6 patties, or dinner for 4 is just over $7.00CAD. It really doesn’t get better than that. In our house, Kyle and I will usually eat two patties each and the kids will share one. If you have older kids or a larger family you may need to double up the recipe.
On that note, I usually double up the recipe anyway because these patties make excellent leftovers. See the serving section below for more details. Additionally, they freeze very well. Freeze individually then put in a sealable container for up to 6 months.
Preparing the Pork Patties
Ingredients
Pork: I always use lean ground pork for all of my recipes, this one included. It’s the most commonly available in our grocery stores anyway so you don’t have to think too much about it when shopping.
Eggs: The egg acts as a binding agent in this recipe. It’s basically the thing that keeps the patties from falling apart. I use one large chicken egg. If your eggs are very small feel free to use two.
Onion: The onion, once cooked inside the patty, becomes sweet and soft. The sweetness is key to the overall flavour of this dish so you definitely don’t want to skip it. I use a yellow onion but sweet onion, Spanish onion and even a red onion will work fine.
Dill: Fresh dill is very important to this recipe. You can use frozen if you have that on hand as well. Dry dill will work if that’s all you have on hand but you may want to use a little more than the recipe calls for.
Parsley: Another critical ingredient to make these patties delicious. You can use flat-leaf or curly parsley but fresh or frozen is best. If you have to use dried parsley, double up on the quantity.
Flour: All-purpose white flour is all you need for this recipe. Whole wheat flour will work as well. The flour here created a nice coating for the patties on the outside, making them crispier than charred. It keeps the patty soft and moist by locking in some of the juices.
Oil: Because you won’t be using high heat, olive oil is a good choice here. Vegetable oil will work great as well. You want to use an oil that is good for frying but that doesn’t have too much flavour as you
will be using it for serving later.Salt & Pepper: Just the run of the mill table salt and ground black pepper will do great in this recipe. If you have a personal preference for peppery flavour feel free to you use freshly coarsely ground pepper instead.
How to make Kotlely Mielone – Pork Patties
You want to start by prepping the produce. Peel the onion and dice it into small cubes. You want to make sure the pieces aren’t too big so that they cook properly and don’t overpower each bite.
Next, you want to wash the dill and parsley thoroughly and chop each into small pieces. I am not a fan of getting a whole leaf of parsley in each bite so I am meticulous about chopping herbs evenly.
Now that you have all the produce ready it’s time to make the patties. Add the ground pork, onions, dill, parsley, bread crumbs, salt and pepper to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix everything together just until well combined. You don’t want to overmix because that will make your patties dense. If you don’t have a stand mixer, roll up your sleeves and use your hands. Again, just mix until the ingredients are evenly combined.
Put the flour into a small bowl. Big enough so that you can use your hands to dredge the patties.
To make the patties, I like to use a 1/3 cup measuring cup. If you let it overflow a little this should yield 6 patties. Fill the measuring cup, plus a little more, with the meat mixture, empty it into your hand. Roll into a ball to compact the mixture and flatten the patty until it’s approximately 1 inch thick.
Once patty at a time, toss it in the flour to make sure all sides are coated. Place on a plate until all patties are coated and you’re ready to fry.
Add the oil into a large pan and heat it up on medium heat. Once hot, gently place each patty into the pan. Do not crowd the pan to ensure even cooking. If you have a smaller pan or have doubled the recipe you will need to work in batches. Whenever this is the case, I heat the oven to 200, place the first batch of cooked patties in an oven-safe dish and keep it in the oven while I fry the others.
Cook the patties for about 8-10 minutes per side. Flipping only once. Don’t worry is the edges of the patties are a lighter colour than the two sides. This is normal due to the thickness. The internal temperature should reach 165°F.
I like to use two wooden spatulas to do the frying. This gives me much better control over the patties making sure I don’t splash oil all over myself, which is always probable with me.
Serving
The best way to serve these kotely mielone, or pork patties, is on the side of boiled whole or mashed potatoes. Using a spoon, take some of the liquid left in the pan
(pork bits and all) and drizzle it over the potatoes. Top the potatoes with some fresh dill and add a salad or vegetable, like our green beans with onion and garlic topping or our parmesan roasted Brussels sprouts. To make this an extra hearty meal try serving it with stewed cabbage, though you may want to leave out the bacon.
If you are a fan of sauces, you can also make a quick mushroom sauce or gravy using the bits left in the pan and some stock. If you’re adding a sauce, potatoes are still a great option or you can switch things up and serve barley or buckwheat.
If you have leftover patties, heat them up in the microwave or on a pan on the stovetop. If you want to switch things up from the dinner version, put a patty in a bun with some mayo and lots of tomato and you have yourself a delicious sandwich. I like them cold in a sandwich but that’s entirely up to you.
Substitutions
Pork: You can use a mix of pork and lean ground beef in this recipe as well. If you don’t eat red meat, you can easily substitute with ground chicken or turkey which are both also less fatty options. Since poultry is more dry, you will want to add a tablespoon of milk to the meat mix in step 3 below.
Flour: I use plain white all-purpose flour for the dredging of the patties. You can use whole wheat and, in a pinch, you can also use cornstarch. If you prefer now to use flour at all, you can dredge the patties in breadcrumbs.
Pork Patties Recipe
Equipment
- small bowl
- Stand mixer (optional) (optional)
- Medium bowl (if not using stand mixer)
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground pork
- 1 egg
- ½ medium onions
- 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp fresh dill
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp oil for frying
Instructions
- Start by peeling and dicing the onion into small pieces. The size is based on personal preference but you don’t want it too big as it will take over each bite.½ medium onions
- Wash and chop the dill and parsley, also into small pieces.1 tbsp fresh dill, 1 tbsp fresh parsley
- In a stand mixer, or a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except flour and oil. Mix just until well combined. If you over mix you will get denser patties.1 lb lean ground pork, 1 egg, ½ medium onions, 2 tbsp breadcrumbs, 1 tbsp fresh dill, 1 tbsp fresh parsley, ¼ tsp pepper, ¼ tsp salt
- Put the flour into a small bowl. You will use this flour to dredge the patties before frying.3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- Scoop some meat mixture out of the bowl using a 1/3 cup measuring cup. Let it overflow a little as this will give you 6 patties. Take the mixture out of the measuring cup and flatten it out a little to about 1 inch thick. Put it into the flour and roll it around until fully coated. Place on a plate and repeat for the remaining patties.
- Warm up some oil in a medium pan on medium heat.3 tbsp oil
- Once the oil is hot, gently place each patty in the pan. You can use a spatula to do this. Place as many patties as you can fit in the pan without crowding. See the video below.
- Cook the patties for 8-10 minutes on each side, depending on thickness. The internal temperature should reach 165°F when measured with a meat thermometer.
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