They are probably not Russian, but that’s what we call them in Spain, “filetes rusos.” Apparently the more literal translation, “Russian Fillets,” doesn’t sound right, go figure!

This is one of my mom’s favourite dishes, as she likes the fact that one can convert meatballs to Russian steaks if anyone complains about not liking meatballs. Anyway, on to the cooking!

So, you will need:

• Minced meat (in this case I used ground beef).
• Garlic.
• Fresh parsley.
• Eggs.
• Breadcrumbs.
• Some spices to spice up the meat.

The process is simple. Start by finely chopping up the garlic (I used four big cloves for a pound of beef) and the parsley. LOTS of both, as you can see.

Now, in a bowl, put the meat, the garlic, the parsley, the eggs (I ended up using three), and the spices you want to add to the mix. Grab a spoon or your own two hands, and mix very thoroughly.

When the mix is homogeneous and ready – and don’t worry if it’s a bit too juicy – add the breadcrumbs, and mix again thoroughly. It’ll be harder as the breadcrumbs will make it go “dry” so to speak, but they add a nice touch to them.

Now, to make the actual steaks. As I hinted in the beginning, these are “almost” interchangeable with meatballs. So, start by making a meatball, then when it’s ready, slap it on top to squash it. Fun!

Now we want to fry them! Some people like actually crumbing them before this, but I think they have enough “stuff” as is to make it straight to the pan. Put some oil, heat it well, then give them a quick fry. They’ll go dark very quickly, thanks to all the non-meaty stuff in them!

And as usual, if you want to remove the excess oil, just put them on a piece of kitchen roll paper before serving, and it’ll absorb the excess oil.

What does it go well with? Depending on how healthy you’re feeling, some salad or some potato fries. You can vary the kind of meat you use (mixed beef and pork goes well), you can add other bits inside (popular ones include: bits of bacon, chopped tomatoes, pine nuts), and you can make them bigger or smaller as you prefer.

I wonder if the fact that I’m making this post during my lunch hour points to some sort of dissatisfaction with the sandwich I had for lunch, heh.