Homemade Meat Patties
A great kotleta is less about the recipe and more about a few habits: bread soaked in milk, onion blitzed to a pulp rather than chopped, and a few minutes under a lid at the end. Those three things keep them soft and juicy, even when you reheat them the next day. We like half pork, half beef, for both flavour and enough fat.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Rest
- 15 min
- Total
- 1 h 5 min
- Servings
- 5
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 480 kcal
Ingredients
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What to use instead
Ground chicken makes lighter, softer patties; give them 10–12 minutes under the lid, to 74 °C (165 °F) in the centre.
Makes: 10 patties
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Soak the bread
Tear the bread into a bowl, pour over the milk and leave for 10 minutes. Once it’s completely soft, mash it with a fork into a smooth paste.
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Step 2: Blitz the onion
Blitz the onion and garlic to a pulp in a blender and add to the bowl. No blender? Grate them on the fine side of a grater straight in. Onion treated this way releases its juice and melts into the meat, so the patties turn out juicier than with chopped onion.
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Step 3: Work the mixture
Add the meat, egg, salt and pepper and mix by hand for 2 minutes. Then lift the mixture and throw it back into the bowl a few times; this firms it up so the patties hold together. Cover and chill for 15 minutes.
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Step 4: Shape the patties
With hands dipped in cold water, shape 10 ovals of 80–85 g each, about 2 cm thick. Roll each one in breadcrumbs to coat all over.
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Step 5: Fry to a crust
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat until a breadcrumb sizzles when dropped in. Fry the patties for 4 minutes per side until evenly golden brown.
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Step 6: Finish under a lid
Pour in the hot water, cover straight away, turn the heat to low and cook for 8–10 minutes. They’re done when the juices run clear and a thermometer in the centre reads at least 71 °C (160 °F).
Tips & variations
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Tip
Don’t press the patties down with your spatula while they fry; all you’re doing is squeezing the juice out into the pan.
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Variation
Mix 2 tbsp finely chopped dill or parsley into the meat for a fresher flavour and a prettier cross-section.
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Swap
Ground chicken makes lighter, softer patties; give them 10–12 minutes under the lid, to 74 °C (165 °F) in the centre.
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Storage
Cooked patties keep for 3 days in the fridge and up to 2 months in the freezer. Reheat in a covered pan with a spoonful of water.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 5 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 480 kcal | 2,400 kcal |
| Protein | 24 g | 120 g |
| Fat | 34 g | 170 g |
| Carbohydrates | 18 g | 90 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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