Swedish Meatballs
Servings 3 people
Ingredients
- ½ pound ground pork
- ½ pound lean ground beef
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¾ cup Japanese panko or breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- salt
- ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (finely chopped)
Gravy:
- ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 1/3 tablespoons flour
- 1¼ cup low sodium beef broth or chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (more if needed)
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons lingonberry jam or grape jelly
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine ground pork and ground beef with hand. Add egg, milk, panko and allspice. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Divide the meat mixture into about 30 portions (about 1½-inch diameter). Roll the meat portions into meatballs with wet hands. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet or large plate. Cover with plastic wrap and cool in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- When ready to cook, in a large skillet over medium heat, warm up 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add the meatballs and cook until cook through and golden brown, about 13 – 15 minutes. Make sure to rotate them for even cooking. Transfer the meatballs to a clean large plate. Set aside.
- Discard all the fat from the skillet, except for about ½ tablespoon. Return the pan over medium-low heat. Add and melt ½ tablespoon butter. Sprinkle in the flour and stir with a whisk. Slowly pour in the broth while whisking. Whisk until slightly thicken and pretty smooth, about 5 minutes. Add lemon juice, heavy cream and jam. Whisk to combine, about 2 – 3 minutes. Taste and add more lemon juice if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return the meatballs to the skillet. Coat the meatballs with gravy and cook for 2 more minutes. Transfer the meatballs to serving plates. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately with rice or pasta.
Notes
- In general, I used 1 teaspoon of salt & ½ teaspoon ground black pepper for each pound of ground meat. But to ensure tasty meatballs, test the seasoning by cooking a little meat patty in a small pan. Taste it. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
- The meatballs need time to firm up in the fridge. Do not skip this part.
- Lingonberry jam can be bought at Ikea in the grocery isle. But grape jelly would work too. I used grape jelly, because I always have that in the fridge.
- When you first add the lemon juice, it may taste pretty sour. Continue to whisk until the jam is melted. The jam will sweetened up the sauce a bit. Also, adding salt will also help. Keep in mind though, you do want the sauce to be a little bit sour at the end.