Swedish Meatballs

 I have made these twice so far and I really like them.  Traditionally they are served over egg noodles, but I have had them over rice and now mashed potatoes.  You should serve them over whatever is your favorite.  The sauce recipe makes a lot so you really should have something to serve it over.

Swedish Meatballs

1 pound ground beef

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 Tablespoon chopped parsley, I used cilantro because I had some left over from another dish

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

! Tablespoon butter

Sauce

4 Tablespoons butter

3 Tablespoons flour

2 cups (one can) beef broth

1 cup heavy cream ( although I have made it with half and half)

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl mix the ground beef, bread crumbs, parsley (or cilantro), allspice, nutmeg, onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and the egg. Mix completely and shape into meatballs.  The picture did not show the egg.  But don't forget it. Here it is!

I used a medium coolie scoop to form the balls.  You can also use the small cookie scoop and make a lot of little meatballs.  They will cook faster than the larger ones, but they take longer to shape. Roll the balls in your hands rather firmly so they hold together during the cooking.

Heat the butter and olive oil over medium high heat.  

Cook the meatballs until brown and cooked through.  About 7-8 minutes for the larger balls.

Remove the coked meatballs to a plate and cover with foil to keep them warm.  

Now for the sauce.

Add the butter to the frying pan. After it melts add the flour and whisk until it turns brown.  Slowly stir in the beef broth and the heavy cream.  Next add the Worcestershire sauce and mustard and keep whisking to mix.  Simmer while whisking until the sauce starts to thickens.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Return the meatballs to the sauce and heat through.  Spoon the sauce over the meatballs. 

 I started the potatoes before I started the meatballs. The potatoes were done after the meatballs. I mashed them while the sauce thickened and then when rewarming the meatballs.

Serve over whatever base you decided upon. I served over the mashed potatoes with plenty of sauce. We obviously had leftovers, but I like to cook once and eat a day or two!

The sauce really makes the meatballs. This was a nice meal for a cold night and one I will make again.