Falscher Hase (Fake rabbit meatloaf)

As you might have guessed from its name, Falscher Hase is a classic German meatloaf dish. Falscher Hase or Heuchelhase literally translates to fake rabbit. But don't be confused, there is no actual rabbit used to prepare it. It's made out of ground beef. Traditionally, hard boiled eggs are placed inside the meatloaf. Inspired by my mom's recipe, we will use a Frankfurter type of sausages instead and serve potatoes on the side.

INGREDIENTS

(6 servings)

1,2 kg ground beef

1,5 kg potatoes

3 eggs

1 bell pepper

5 medium sized pickles

2 tbsp. capers

1 onion

3 sausages

3 slices of (Edam) cheese

1 pack of puff pastry

Thyme

Basil

1 tbsp. paprika powder

Salt & Pepper

PREPARATION

Start by cutting the bell pepper, pickles, onion and capers into little dices. Keep half an onion and some bell pepper for the sauce.

Place the ground beef in a big bowl. Add the diced ingredients together with some chopped basil and thyme. Complete the mix with paprika powder, salt and pepper. Top it up with two eggs. Use your hands to blend it all together nicely.

Next, it's time to prepare the puff pastry. You can use pre-made puff pastry from the supermarket. Cover your board with a little flour and unroll the dough. Use a rolling pin to flatten and increase the surface of the dough. Take some more flour as needed to prevent it from sticking to the board.

Put the puff pastry on an oven tray. Take the meatloaf mixture. Form a long sub and place it at the upper part of the dough. Wrap each frankfurter sausage with a slice of cheese and press into the meatloaf.

Push yet a little more with your hand to flatten the whole meatloaf. Wrap the edges around the sausages until they are fully settled inside the fake rabbit. Take the short end of the puff pastry to cover the top of the meat loaf. Scramble an egg yolk and stroke around the edges.

Now take the long end of the puff pastry and wrap the meatloaf completely. Coat the outside puff pastry layer with the remaining egg yolk. This will allow for a golden brown color to develop in the oven. Steal some puff pastry from the edges and form small balls. Press these on top of the coated meatloaf to mimic the spine of the fake rabbit. Pre-heat the oven to ~200 degrees and bake for about 40 minutes.

In the meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Take half an onion and the left over bell pepper. Cut into small pieces. Melt butter in a pot. Fry onion and bell pepper for a couple of minutes until slightly softened.

Add 2 litres of broth. Simmer for at least half an hour. You can add a bit of flour at the end to thicken the sauce. While the sauce boils down, peel and quarter the potatoes. Cook in salted water for about 15 minutes.

Let the fake rabbit rest a little. Cut it into generous slices and serve with potatoes on flat plates. Pour sauce over it.

Gather your friends and enjoy the German feast.

Guten Appetit!