Swedish Meatballs

It's been a crazy month for us.  We just moved into a new house and haven't been cooking much lately.  But in the midst of unpacking I decided I needed to cook something. This recipe isn't complicated, but it's time consuming.  Better suited to a Sunday afternoon than a weeknight when your kitchen is filled with boxes.  But the final product is worth it, and it makes enough for at least two meals. 

I love the way the meatballs turned out and I'd definitely use this method again for any kind of meatball. The beef and pork together make a very tender meatball.  Swedish meatballs are spiced with allspice and sometimes ginger and/or nutmeg.  Well, the allspice hasn't yet made it out of my packing boxes, but I had a little tin of pumpkin spice and it worked great!  Pumpkin spice meatballs! 

The gravy contains lingonberry jam, and it's extra tasty to serve a little extra jam on the side.  

Here's what you need for 55 meatballs!

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (made from 2 slices fresh bread)
1 medium onion
3 tbsp plus 1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pumpkin spice (or allspice), divided
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 tbsp vegetabIe oil
2 tbsp flour
1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup lingonberry jam, plus more for serving

First make the meatballs.  

Mix the breadcrumbs with 3 tablespoons milk and 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin spice.

Grate the onion in a food processor or finely mince it. 

Mix the pork, beef, breadcrumbs, egg salt, pepper and remaining pumpkin spice. 

Mix it all together with your hands until thoroughly combined. 

Take a tablespoon of meat and roll into a ball. Place on a tray covered in plastic wrap.

Repeat until all the meat is gone.  This should make around 55 meatballs.  Cook them all in batches and if you don't eat them all you can freeze the leftovers.

Heat oil in a large pan and add meatballs to the pan, not crowding them.  Cook the meatballs, flipping them to brown all sides, for about 8 minutes until cooked through.

Remove the cooked meatballs to a plate and cook another batch.

Once all the meatballs are cooked and removed from the pan, there should be a layer of fat in the pan with browned bits of meat.  Sprinkle the flour over it and mix over medium heat for 1 minute until the flour is lightly browned.  Add the stock to the pan and bring to a simmer.  Cook for 2 minutes. 

Add the remaining 1/4 cup milk and lingonberry jam to the sauce.  Cook for 1 more minute.

Add the meatballs back into the gravy to warm through.  You can serve put these in a crock pot and serve them as a party appetizer, or serve them with noodles for a hearty meal.

Don't forget an extra bit of lingonberry jam on the side.  Very tasty!  Freeze the leftovers in sauce to thaw and reheat for a quick meal later.

Enjoy!