German Falscher Hase (Special Meatloaf)

By
Jennifer McGavin
Jennifer McGavin
Jennifer McGavin learned to cook German food while living in Germany for 11 years and has worked in the food industry for many years.
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Updated on 05/18/22
German Falscher Hase Meatloaf with Egg in the middle

lizakorobkova / Getty Images

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Total: 75 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 1 meatloaf
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
548 Calories
34g Fat
15g Carbs
43g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 548
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 34g 44%
Saturated Fat 13g 66%
Cholesterol 269mg 90%
Sodium 961mg 42%
Total Carbohydrate 15g 6%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 43g
Vitamin C 5mg 26%
Calcium 123mg 9%
Iron 5mg 28%
Potassium 705mg 15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Falscher Hase came into prominence after World War II when meat was still scarce but German housewives wanted to put a special dish on the Sunday table.

Ingenious cooks mixed together chopped meats, wrapped them around hard-cooked eggs, shaped the mixture into a meatloaf reminiscent of a rabbit (a highly prized meat in Germany) and "roasted" it.

Bacon ​or speck spikes the flavor, as does parsley, mustard, Hungarian paprika, and sour cream.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef round, or half ground round and half lean pork

  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped

  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, divided

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 teaspoon ground paprika

  • 1 teaspoon prepared mustard

  • 3 tablespoons chopped parsley

  • 3 large hard-cooked eggs, peeled

  • 4 strips bacon

  • 1 cup beef broth

  • 1/4 cup hot water

  • 1/4 cup cold water

  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch

  • 1/2 cup sour cream, low-fat is not recommended

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together the meat, onion, 3 tablespoons of the breadcrumbs, the 2 raw eggs, salt, pepper, paprika, mustard, and parsley.

  2. Sprinkle the rest of the breadcrumbs on a cutting board and flatten the meat mixture into a rectangle about 1-inch thick.

  3. Arrange the whole, hard-cooked eggs in a row down the middle. Fold the sides of the meat patty over the eggs. Form the meat into a nice, free-form loaf shape. Coat liberally with breadcrumbs.

  4. Heat oven to 350 F.

  5. Chop 2 strips of bacon into small pieces and brown in a Dutch oven on the stove. Remove bacon pieces and set aside. Brown the meatloaf on all sides in the bacon grease.

  6. Lay the remaining strips of bacon over the meatloaf, pour 1/2 cup beef broth into the pan and place the Dutch oven in the heated oven. Bake, basting occasionally with the remaining 1/2 cup broth for about 45 minutes. Remove meatloaf to a serving platter, cover with aluminum foil and keep warm.

  7. Place Dutch oven back on stovetop and add 1/4 cup of hot water. Scrape all browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

  8. Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water and add to pan. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat and stir in sour cream. Try not to boil after the sour cream has been added.

  9. Season with optional pepper and reserved bacon bits. Taste before adding more salt.

  10. Serve meatloaf with boiled, parsley potatoes, and steamed green beans.