Proteinlaberln mit Erdäpfel-Mayo-Salat (Protein Patties with Potato Mayonnaise Salad)
Welcome to day 2 of the Love Being Served Austrian week! Today, we are going to prepare a dish that is inspired by a traditional Austrian meat dish called Fleischlaberln, a sort of minced meat patties. My mother often served them with mashed potatoes or a nice potato salad. Knowing her best potato salad that is still being served at Christmas, whose secret is mayonnaise and pickled cucumbers, I was curious about how to recreate it for a perfect accompaniment of the patties. And with my homemade vegan mayonnaise that has already been accompanying my Fritjes met Vegan Mayonnaise, together with crunchy gherkins, it really tastes like my mum’s Christmas salad!
When it comes to making meat substitutes, I learned not to just replace by soy products, but I developed a tendency of wanting to recreate a version that is not only tastier, but also much healthier. Hence for the Fleischlaberln I added some grated carrot to the soy. Also because I never use onions in my recipes (why you can read here in this blog post). Only soy granules and cornstarch was just not making my favorite patty…
Ingredients for making Proteinlaberln mit Erdäpfel-Mayo-Salat
- soy granules – the best substitute if you want to recreate minced meat recipes. Please choose a local producer if you can. See my list of local soy producers in Europe in this blog post.
- carrot – it brings a higher nutritional value into this recipe
- breadcrumbs – some breadcrumbs here in Portugal contain dairy (except of the Pão ralado classico of Porsi by Intermarché). This is why I recommend to check the label!
- dijon mustard – I love Dijon mustard. Feel free to use another one for the patties, but for the mayonnaise I would stay with the dijon.
- salt and pepper – in most of my recipes I use the granulated sea salt. Please make sure you buy salt that has not been modified! In terms of pepper, black and white both are very nice here.
- soy milk – I highly recommend to use Bio soy milk for THIS recipe instead of other plant milks. Otherwise the mayonnaise does not thicken properly.
- sunflower oil – or other oil with neutral flavor. For making mayonnaise it is crucial that you use oil with neutral flavor. I tried to make mayonnaise with olive oil, but it turned out bitter and too strong. Canola oil can also work.
- lemon juice – please choose ripe bio lemons for your dishes, if you can! Otherwise, apple vinegar can also work.
- potatos – here for this salad all types of potatos work fine.
- pickled gherkins (Essiggurkerln) – of the type “cornichons”.
- parsley – chopped fresh parsley or thyme.
Soy from Austria
Austria’s small-scale soy cultivation is an alternative to big companies that grow their soy in the rainforest. While nations such as Brazil and Argentina do, Austria does not experience significant deforestation due to soy production. I am growing a list of tofu & co produced in Europe, to keep the impact on the Planet low. See this blog post for links, for my approach to soy here on this blog and for further information.
Proteinlaberln mit Erdäpfel-Mayo-Salat (Soy Patties with Potato Mayonnaise Salad)
Equipment
- 1 immersion blender or hand mixer
Ingredients
For the mayonnaise
- 70 ml soy milk
- 170 ml neutral oil sunflower or canola oil
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 pinches salt
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
For the potato salad
- 5 medium potatos
- some pickled gherkins
- some liquid from the pickled gherkins
- 1-2 tbsp parsley, chopped
- pepper and salt
- 3 tbsp plant yogurt of choice optional – it just adds a certain sourness that you might like
For the patties
- 1/2 cup soy granules
- 1/2 carrot
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- ca. 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 3-4 tbsp vegan breadcrumbs
- pepper and salt
- oil for frying
Instructions
Prepare the mayonnaise
- Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature to help the emulsification process.
- With the blender running on a medium speed, slowly drizzle the sunflower oil into the mixture. Pour the oil in a thin, steady stream. This gradual addition is crucial for the emulsification process, which will thicken the mixture into a creamy mayonnaise!
- Once all the oil is incorporated and the mixture has thickened, add the mustard and a pinch of salt. Blend briefly, then taste. Add some lemon juice if a tangier flavor is desired or one more pinch of salt for a saltier taste.Place the mayonnaise into the fridge to set.
Prepare the potatos
- In the meantime, boil the potatoes with the peel until cooked (fork test!).Drain and let cool down.
- Peel the potatoes and cut them in slices. Cut the gherkins in tiny cubes.
- Place the potatoes in a bowl. Incorporate a few tablespoons of the mayonnaise and the rest of the salad ingredients, season to taste. You might want to adjust your perfect potato salad. For more substantial flavor, take more mayonnaise. To add a bit more sourness, add more of the gherkin liquid. The same applies to salt and pepper.
- Once you have found the perfect balance of your salad, cover the bowl and place it in the fridge.
Prepare the patties
- Soak the granules in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain and squeeze out well with a spoon. I you are lucky to have good tap water, you can rinse them and squeeze them with your hands. The less excess water in the granules, the less you will later need to use cornstarch!
- Peel and grate the carrot. In a bowl, mix the carrot, soy granules and the other ingredients together. Try to see with your fingers how much cornstarch the mixture requires. It should still be nicely soft, but not too sticky. Give it a try to form a first patty and adjust accordingly.
- Dust your hand with cornstarch. Take one big spoonful of mixture and place it in the palm of your hand. Quickly but carefully form a patty and place it on a dusted surface or plate. Repeat the process until all patties are formed.
- In a non-sticking pan, heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil. Fry the patties on both sides until golden brown.
Serve and enjoy
- Serve the patties with the salad, garnished with some parsley and/or gherkins.