Swedish Meatballs

Swedish Meatballs Dish Guide

Serves 4

1 lb ground meat*

1/3 cup finely minced (or grated) yellow onion

1/3 cup breadcrumbs

1 egg

2 T Dijon mustard

2 T Worcestershire sauce

1/8 t cayenne pepper (optional)

1 t garlic powder

¼ t ground allspice

¼ t ground nutmeg

2 T freshly minced parsley plus extra for garnishing

3 cups beef broth

½ cup half and half

¼ cup all purpose flour

4 T unsalted butter

1 T olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large bowl add the egg and beat until homogenous. Add the ground meat, onion, breadcrumbs, 1 T mustard, 1 T Worcestershire, cayenne, garlic powder, allspice, nutmeg and parsley. Season mixture with salt and pepper and stir until well combined. Use a tablespoon or other spoon to scoop out equally sized portions of the mixture (aiming for about half the size of a golf ball). Roll the mixture in your palms to form a ball and place on a plate. Mixture should yield 18-24 balls.

In a large skillet over medium heat add 1 T of butter and 1 T olive oil. Add the meatballs and brown on both “sides” for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the meatballs from the skillet and add the remaining butter and ¼ cup flour. Whisk or stir the flour until it is combined with the butter to form a roux. Add the beef stock whisking constantly and cook until the liquid begins to thicken. Add the remaining T of mustard and Worcestershire and the ½ cup half and half. Mix again and return the meatballs to the sauce. Reduce heat to medium low and cover.

Cook for 10 minutes and stir meatballs. Re-cover and cook for 10 minutes more. Season gravy to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately atop wide egg noodles and more fresh parsley. A high-quality berry jam is also a common and excellent accompaniment.

*Many grocery stores sell a “meatloaf” mix which has beef, pork and veal in equal portions. If you cannot find this or prefer not to eat veal a 50/50 mix of ground beef and pork would work.