Boneless Birds (Benløse Fugle)

1. Cut the meat into 12 uniform size pieces and pound thin into approximate square shapes.

2. Cover each piece of meat with a thin slice of bacon, trimming them to fit, then sprinkle with salt and pepper, adding a rounded tablespoonful of minced onion.

3. Roll up and tie firmly with white thread (I keep a spool of heavy duty cotton thread in my spice drawer), taking care so the filling doesn’t ooze out of the ends. Or thread a toothpick across the ends to keep it closed.

4. Roll in the flour, coating it very lightly, and brown in the hot butter on all sides in a moderately hot pan.

5. Add the beef bouillon or prepared au Jjus, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, or until tender. Or place into a 325ºF oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Add water if necessary to keep the level of fluid up. Turn the rolls from time to time.

6. When done, remove the “birds” from the oven or skillet, set aside while you skim the fat and thicken the liquid with a slurry of 1 tablespoon flour to 1/2 cup of ice water. Cook for a couple of minutes to thicken and to take away the raw taste of the flour, then serve the “birds” with the rich brown gravy. The bacon adds a lovely richness and great mouth feel.

Serve with some potatoes or noodles and corn or your favorite vegetable.