Swedish | Swedish Meatballs
Posted on September 24, 2013
Part of my Scandinavian adventure that I am working on. These were really good. Classic accompaniments include mashed potatoes, pickled cucumbers, and lingonberry preserves.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 1/3 cups low-salt beef stock, divided
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 cup minced onion
2 thick slices bacon, minced
1 pound ground beef
3/4 pound ground pork
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon sour cream, whisked
Method
Mix breadcrumbs and 1/3 cup stock in a small bowl. Set aside. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. (To save a pan, use large heavy pot that will be used later.) Add onion and sauté until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer onion to a large bowl.
Wipe out pan and return to medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to bowl with onion. Reserve bacon fat. Add next 8 ingredients (through nutmeg) to bowl with onion mixture, mixing with your hands to blend. Fold in breadcrumb mixture. Using a tablespoon measure roll meat mixture into balls; transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter with reserved bacon fat in a large heavy pot over medium-low heat. Working in 3 batches and adding 1 tablespoon butter between batches, brown meatballs on all sides, about 6-8 minutes per batch. Transfer meatballs to a plate. Drain all but 2 tablespoons drippings from pot. Whisk in flour until smooth paste forms. Stir in 2 cups stock; bring to a simmer, whisking often. Return meatballs to pot. Cover; simmer until meatballs are cooked 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat, whisk in sour cream, and stir to coat meatballs.
(Ref. "Swedish Meatballs" recipe, Bon Appetit magazine September 2011.)