Bitterballen are the snack I missed the most after moving to the US. The good news: you can make them yourself, and once you do, you can make a lot at once. This batch gets you 40 to 50 bitterballen. After you eat 10 of them, you’ll have eaten plenty. So you can freeze the rest!

I don’t just love eating them, I have also worked at a snackbar for five years, frying these every single day in the summer. That smell never left me, and I never got tired of it either. Bitterballen aren't healthy, and they aren’t meant to be. They're meant to make you feel warm inside and remind you why life is good. Wherever you bring them, whether it's a street corner in the Netherlands or a living room in the US where a Dutch person hasn't seen one in years, you'll know this will make them happy. They definitely still make me happy every time I eat them!

In the Netherlands, you don't actually need to make bitterballen yourself. Snackbars are everywhere, even in the smallest towns. That's how deeply this snack is woven into everyday Dutch life. Bitterballen are basically a smaller, rounder version of kroketten (you can make this same recipe into kroketten too, just shape it more like a sausage).

And despite the name, they have nothing to do with tasting bitter. They're named after "bitter," a small alcoholic drink they're traditionally eaten alongside. If you're ever in the Netherlands, this is the one thing I'd tell you to try first. Until then: Make them yourself with the recipe below.

Preparation:

20 minutes (Day 1) + 1 hour (Day 2, rolling the balls)

Cook Time:

1.5–4 hours (depending on whether you’re using a pressure cooker)

Rest Time:

At least 10 hours

Servings:

50 bitterballen

Ingredients:

Braise:

• 1 kg (about 2.2 lb) beef chuck or tri-tip, cubed into 3–4-inch pieces
• 2 cups (500 mL) broth or stock
• Salt and pepper
• 4 tbsp (½ stick / 56g) butter, plus a splash of olive oil
• ¾ cup (about 185 mL) full-bodied red wine (like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot)

Breading:

• ½ cup fine breadcrumbs
• 1 cup panko (coarse breadcrumbs)
• 5 egg whites

Vegetables:

• 1 carrot
• ½ onion
• ½ bell pepper

Spices (about ½ tsp each):

• Cumin
• Nutmeg
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Garlic powder
• Oregano
• 2–3 bay leaves

Ragout:

• 1⅔ cups (200 g) flour
• 12 tbsp (1½ sticks / 170 g) butter
• 4 egg yolks
• About 1¼ tsp (4 g) powdered gelatin
• Scant ½ cup (100 g) heavy cream
• 2 tbsp Maggi seasoning
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 1 tbsp soy sauce

Other:

• Oil for deep-frying
• Mustard, for serving

Preparation

1. Salt the meat generously, ideally the night before or a few hours ahead.
2. Heat a heavy-bottomed or cast-iron pan and add the butter and a splash of olive oil.
3. Sear the meat pieces on all sides.
4. Dice the onion and bell pepper. Dice or slice the carrot as well.
5. Remove the meat and set it in a pressure cooker, Instant Pot, or other large pot (at least 3 liters).
6. In the same fat you seared the meat in, sauté the onion, carrot, and bell pepper for 2–3 minutes.
7. Add the sautéed vegetables to the large pot with the meat. Add the wine, broth, and spices to the pot as well.
8. If using a pressure cooker, cook on the pressure cooker setting for at least 90 minutes. If you don't have one, cook in a regular pot for up to 4 hours instead.
9. Remove the meat from the pot. It should fall apart easily. If it doesn't, it likely needs more time.
10. Strain the braising liquid and save it; you'll need it for the ragout.
11. Shred the meat or cut it into small pieces.
12. Make the ragout: melt the butter in a pan and let it bubble, but don't let it brown.
13. Add the flour, stir well, and let it cook for a couple of minutes.
14. Slowly stir in the reserved braising liquid, a little at a time, waiting for each addition to be absorbed before adding more.
15. Separate the eggs (you need the yolks now, save the whites for rolling the balls later).
16. Stir in the egg yolks, cream, gelatin powder, mustard, Maggi, and soy sauce.
17. Add the shredded meat and stir until evenly distributed.
18. The ragout is ready when it's thick enough that a spoon stands upright in it. If it's not thick enough, stir in a bit more gelatin.
19. Let the ragout cool, then refrigerate for at least 10 hours.
20. Roll balls of about 25 g each (roughly the size of a golf ball), then roll them through the fine breadcrumbs.
21. Return the balls to the fridge periodically as you work through the batch.
22. Dip the balls in the egg white mixture, then roll them through the panko.
23. Fry for 4 minutes (refrigerated) or 5 minutes (frozen) in oil at 180°C (355°F).

Tips

• Don't fry too many balls at once. The oil temperature drops quickly, and the balls turn soggy.
• If some egg yolk gets into the whites (or vice versa) while separating, it's not a problem.