These delicious and authentic Swedish meatballs in a rich cream sauce are eaten with lingonberry jam. Move over IKEA!
Swedish meatballs are pretty popular in America and there are a lot of recipe variations on the internet. I have tried to stay true to the original, traditional flavors and ingredients. Meatballs and jam may seem odd at first, but think of lamb and mint jelly, turkey and cranberry sauce, or grilled meats with sweet barbecue sauce.
This is one of the most popular dishes in Sweden, especially for children. Traditionally, they are served with noodles or potatoes, either boiled or mashed. And remember, they must be prepared with love.
EQUIPMENT: Lodge cast iron skillet, blender, bowl, whisk
Swedish Meatballs
Cuisine: SwedishDifficulty: Average4
servings30
minutes45
minutesServe meatballs with lingonberry jam and noodles or potatoes: boiled, roasted, or mashed.
Ingredients
- Meatballs
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon organic unsalted butter
1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorns
1/2 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups beef bone broth or stock
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Directions
- Meatballs
- Place a cast iron skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add onion and a pinch of salt and sweat until onions are soft. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Put one half of chicken stock plus egg yolks, onions, garlic, parsley, and allspice in a blender and purée. Drizzle in more chicken stock if needed to get mixture to purée.
- In a large bowl, combine meats, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, pureed stock mix, red pepper flakes, and salt.
- Use your hands to combine until mixture is uniform, do not over mix.
- Put a little olive oil on your hands and form mixture into balls a little larger than golf balls.
- Pour about 1/2 inch of extra virgin olive oil in a large cast iron skillet and heat over medium-high flame.
- Add meatballs to skillet, working in batches if necessary, and brown meatballs, turning once.
This should take about 10 minutes. - Remove meatballs from skillet or saute pan and drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
- Reduce heat to medium. Melt butter and whisk in flour until it has turned golden brown.
- Gradually add beef stock and whisk until sauce begins to thicken.
- Add cream, worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Continue to stir until well-combined.
- Add meatballs back to skillet and toss gently to coat well. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.
