Köttbullar med gräddsås - Swedish Meatballs

Köttbullar med gräddsås sounds super interesting, when in reality is translates to "Meatballs with cream sauce". That's right, I'm making Swedish meatballs. Made popular here by IKEA, they might not be fancy, but they can be really delicious if made right. And sometimes that's quite iffy, but using several recipes over the years I have discovered they really aren't any more complicated than meatballs in general. 

I like to remove the meatballs and then pour some of the gravy in to the hot pan to lift the fond, the caramelized dark meat bits left behind in the pan. Stir to lift and scrape it back in to the gravy. 

1 small onion

1/4 c. milk

1 egg

1 slice bread

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. garlic

1 lb. ground beef (90/10 fat)

1 lb. ground pork

3 c. water

2 beef bouillon cubes

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 tsp. vegetable bouillon, optional

1 stick butter

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp. lingonberry jam

1/2 c. flour

1/4 c. sour cream

Preheat the oven to 425. 

In a small pan saute the onion in a little oil until softened.  Combine the onion, milk, egg, and ripped chunks of the bread and let it stand for 5 minutes. Squish with your hands to break up the bread and add to the meat with the seasonings. Squish and mix together to combine. Form in to 1 inch balls and place on a baking sheet. Bake for about 25 minutes or until cooked through. 

Heat the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the vinegar and cook until it's not as acidic, about 2-3 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until the flour is slightly browned. Add the jam and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the water, pepper, and both bouillons. Simmer while the meatballs are cooking, at least 20 minutes. Whisk the sour cream until smooth, add 1/4 cup of the gravy and whisk to combine. Whisk it all in to the gravy and simmer an additional 5 minutes. 

Place the meatballs on a tray and pour the gravy over the top to coat. Serve the remaining gravy on the side. 

Original picture - Post updated 7/2/2018