Köttbullar - Swedish Meatballs

Inevitably a blog about Swedish food must feature a recipe for Classic Swedish Meatballs! It is perhaps the most iconic Swedish dish, at least abroad. And though we don't actually eat meatballs all the time, certainly everyone has a special fondness for this dish, and it seems most people feel their mother's meatball recipe was the best, though there must be as many recipes as there are families. This recipe is our special version, and yes, my children (and my English son-in-law) agree they are the best!

You'll find meatballs on any Smörgåsbord, we serve them for Christmas, Easter. For such special occasions, I make the balls smaller and daintier than I would for an ordinary dinner.

My family recipe:

Ingredients:

800 g. mince (50% beef, 50% pork)
2 onions, finely chopped
2 boiled, cold potatoes.

1 dl fine bread crumbs

2 dl fizzy water (or plain water, milk) to mix with the breadcrumbs

 

ground white pepper and salt, to taste

1-2 egg yolks (depends on how big your eggs are)

1 tsp sugar

1.5 dl cream

 

butter for frying

 

Sauce:

meat juices from frying the meatballs

a paste of 2 tbsp plain flour stirred into some water, to thicken

stock or 1 beef stock cube + some water

cream

Method:

 

Sweat the finely chopped onions in a frying pan, don't let them color. Let them cool.
 

Grate the potatoes and set aside for now.

Put the bread crumbs in a bowl. Pour over the water/milk. 

 

In a large bowl, mix the mince with the bread crumb mix, grated potatoes, egg yolks, and onions.

 

Season with salt and pepper and add sugar. Mix well. Add cream to the mix little by little until you get a good texture, moist but not too loose.

 

Shape into balls and place on a cutting board splashed with water (helps them not stick).

 

Brown in a large frying pan on medium heat. Fry them in batches, don't put too many in the pan at once. Shake the pan so that they roll about, browning evenly and maintaining a round shape.

If you are making sauce, reserve the cooking juices.

 

To make the sauce: Pour water into the pan, almost covering the meat balls. Let them bubble in there for some minutes so they cook all the way through. Fish the meat balls out and set aside on a plate.

Pour the flour+water thickener paste into the pan with thre cooking juices and let it come to a boil. Add some stock.

 

Dilute with cream and season with salt and ground white pepper. Add a little soy for color.

 

Serve with boiled or mashed potatoes, lingonsylt (loganberry jam), pickled cucumber and salad.

 

Enjoy!

Svara

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