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Home De ballen van Sinterklaas

Recipes

So, were you intrigued by the name of this Sinterklaas recipe? 😉A dirty mind is a joy forever I always say, but there's absolutely nothing dirty. It's really about balls: meatballs, to be precise. They're quite special — instead of breadcrumbs I used... pepernoten! That may sound odd, but it's not. Think about the flavor of pepernoten; it's somewhat like the spices you'd use in a stew. Mom and I took a chance, got to work with the minced meat and pepernoten, and the result was these exceptionally tasty meatballs. Perfect for Sinterklaas evening, of course, but they also taste great on other days 😉

Recipe

Sinterklaas' Balls

Juicy meatballs seasoned with crushed pepernoten, served in a rich gravy. A festive and flavorful dish that's delicious with stamppot or the next day on bread.

Course	Side dish
Kitchen	Dutch
Servings	4-6

Preparation time

Preparation time	55 min
Total	55 min

Equipment

Frying pan
Bowl

Ingredients

500 g ground beef
75 g crushed pepernoten
75 g chopped onion
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 egg
a splash of milk
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 meat stock cubes
a few drops of tabasco
butter
pepper & salt

Sinterklaas' Balls

1. Finely chop the onion, heat some butter in the frying pan, and sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent. Let cool slightly.

2. Crush the pepernoten (for example in a tea towel with a rolling pin) until they form crumbs.

3. In a bowl, mix the minced beef, 1 tbsp tomato paste, an egg, a splash of milk, 1 crumbled stock cube, tabasco to taste, the onion and garlic, and 3/4 of the crushed pepernoten. Make sure everything is well combined and season with pepper and salt.

4. Shape the meat into balls (we made 5, but you can make 4 large ones or 6 smaller ones) and brown them in some butter. Make sure the balls are browned all over. Then add the second tablespoon of tomato paste to the pan, along with 1 stock cube and the remaining pepernoten crumbs. Add enough water until the balls are halfway submerged and then let simmer for 30 minutes over low heat. Taste the gravy and season with pepper and salt. The balls are delicious with stamppot, but they're also great on bread the next day. Enjoy!

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These meatballs are a real nod to the Sinterklaas festivities. The pepernoten give a subtle spiciness to the meat and make the gravy extra special. Perfect for a cozy autumn or winter dinner.

Making the balls a day in advance? Fine — they actually taste even better the next day. Store them with the gravy in the fridge and gently reheat them in a pan. Also delicious cold on a sandwich!

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