Kotlety (Fried Meat Burgers)
Serve the kotlety with a salad, any side dish or sauce.
For 6 kotlety:
1 lb mixed ground meat (pork and beef)
2 oz white bread
1 medium onion
Half a teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil for frying
Tear the bread into pieces and soak in cold water for 5-10 minutes.
Peel the onion and cut into a few pieces.
Place the onion into a food processor.
Squeeze the bread dry and add to the onion.
Process the bread and onion till finely chopped.
Place the ground meat into a bowl.
Sprinkle with the salt.
Add the bread and onion mixture.
Mix well to combine all ingredients.
Scoop up the meat mixture with your hands and throw forcefully against the bottom of the bowl a few times.
After such pounding, the ground meat texture will be much more uniform. The patties made this way keep their shape much better.
Divide the meat mixture into six equal parts.
Pour the breadcrumbs onto your working surface.
Spread the breadcrumbs with a knife.
Shape an oval meat patty with your hands and put it on the breadcrumbs.
Turn the meat patty over with a wide knife to make sure that the breadcrumbs stay on the meat and on the working surface.
Continue shaping the patty by patting it around the edges and on the top with a flat side of a knife.
Repeat with the remaining patties.
Heat up the oil in a skillet (no more than ¼ inch).
Place the meat patties onto the skillet and turn the heat down to medium.
Cook for 5 minutes on one side.
Then turn the patties over with a wide spatula and cook for 5 more minutes on the other side.
