Swedish Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 large yellow or white onion, peeled, grated
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3 slices of bread, crusts removed, bread cut into cubes
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Tbsp of Lingonberry, red currant, raspberry or cranberry jelly, less or more to taste, optional

Directions

1. Put the bread cubes into a large bowl, pour in the milk, and toss until moistened. Set it aside for 5 to 10 minutes, until the milk has disappeared into the bread, then pull the bread apart with a fork or your hands.
2. In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the grated onion and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let the onion cool for a minute.
3. Add the cooled onion to the soaked bread. Add the egg, ground pork, ground beef, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cardamom, then mix with clean hands until everything is evenly combined. If you have extra time, chill the mixture for 20 minutes or so to make the meatballs easier to roll.
4. Using your hands, shape the mixture into meatballs about 1 1/4-inch to 1 1/2-inch wide, setting them on a plate or sheet pan as you go. You should end up with about 40 meatballs, and yes, the mixture will feel fairly wet.
5. Warm 3 Tbsp of butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once it has melted and foamed, add some of the meatballs to the pan. Cook them in batches so the pan stays roomy, browning the meatballs slowly on every side. Turn them with a spoon or tongs, and be gentle so they hold together.
6. When the meatballs are browned all over and just cooked through, transfer them to a bowl. They will go back into the sauce to heat again later. After all the meatballs are out, use a paper towel to wipe away the butter and any browned or blackened bits, then rinse the pan. Starting with a clean pan and fresh butter keeps scorched bits out of the sauce and helps you judge the fat accurately.
7. For the sauce, put 3 Tbsp of fresh butter in the pan and warm it over medium heat until melted and bubbling. Whisk in 3 Tbsp of flour a little at a time, stirring until smooth. Cook, stirring often, for several minutes, until the roux turns a creamy light brown.
8. Once the roux has reached that light brown color, slowly pour in the stock while stirring. It may sputter at the beginning, and the roux can clump up, but continue adding the stock gradually and keep stirring. As it cooks, the sauce will relax into a silky texture.
9. Take the pan off the heat and mix in the sour cream. If using jelly, stir it into the sauce now or offer it alongside. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed; about 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper is a useful guide.
10. Put the meatballs back into the pan with the sauce and cook over low heat for a few minutes, just until warmed through.
11. Serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles, or offer individual Swedish meatballs with gravy for dipping as an appetizer.