Swedish Meatballs

Ever since I studied abroad in Sweden, I've had things of Swedish origin more on my mind. IKEA, H&M, ABBA, and Swedish Meatballs.

We decided to try our hand at these, and Ryan was my right hand meatball roller. (He does hold the reigning title of Star Meatball Roller!)

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SWEDISH MEATBALLS

INGREDIENTS:

Meatballs:

• 3 slices White Bread, crust removed and cut into small cubes (about 1/2 cup)

• 1/2 cup Milk

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil

• 1 pound Ground Beef

• 1 pound Ground Pork (Turkey works too!)

• 1 Egg

• 1/2 cup Breadcrumbs

• 1 tsp Salt

• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper

• 1/4 tsp Ground Allspice

• 1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg

• 1/8 tsp Garlic Powder

• 1 Tbsp Dried Minced Onion

• 1 Tbsp Salted Butter

Sauce:

• 1/4 cup Salted Butter

• 1/3 cup Flour

• 3 cups Beef Broth

• 1 cup Heavy Cream

• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1/2 tsp Salt

• 1/4 tsp Pepper

• 2 Tbsp fresh Parsley, chopped, for garnish or dried Parsley

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Add the cubed bread and milk to a large bowl. Let the bread soak for 10 minutes.

2. Add the ground beef, ground pork, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and garlic powder to the bowl of bread and milk, along with the cooled onions. Mix well with your hands until combined.

3. Form about 30 small meatballs (each about 1" in diameter) and set aside on a baking sheet or plate.

4. Heat the oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the meatballs for about 4-5 minutes, rotating to brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

5. Once all of the meatballs are browned, make the sauce in the same pan by heating the butter until melted. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 2 minutes until light brown and bubbly.

6. Whisk in broth, cream, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes until slightly thickened.

7. Return the meatballs to the pan with the sauce, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 8-10 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through.

8. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles.