Alright friends, I’ve got a tasty one for you today and a secret tip on how to many some bomb meatballs. Swedish meatballs are one of my favorite comfort foods. I’ve been known to eat my share of Ikea’s iconic Swedish meatballs. They are good, but my first real experience with an amazing meatball smothered in rich gravy wasn’t Swedish, but Danish. I’m no expert but the two aren’t far apart- geographically or culinarily.
I married into a Danish name, “Nielsen” and when we hear about the little Danish town Solvang in California we decided to take a little trip to explore my husbands heritage. Solvang is a darling town, with loads of good food, culture and fun. It was there I enjoyed the most amazing Danish meatballs I have ever eaten. They were served with a side of mashed potatoes covered in gravy with a side of sautéed sweet and tangy red cabbageI know what your thinking- cabbage?! Yes people. It was amazing. I don’t know how they made it, but it was divine. The bold sweet flavor combined with the salt rich gravy was so amazing. The sweet and savory combination is the same idea with Swedish meatballs, except they are served with a lingonberry sauce. Those flavor combinations are amazing! I highly recommend trying it out.
So! About this secret tip to make some really amazing meatballs. I’ve tried this a few times and have had the best success. This is one of those recipe tips you will be calling your girlfriends about to show off your culinary wisdom. It’s an incredible easy step but makes a world of difference in the texture of your meatballs. All you have to do is soak your breadcrumbs in milk! It adds moisture by throughly incorporating the milk into the mixture and still allows the bread to bind the meat together. Try it. You will never go back. I did equal ratios bread crumbs to milk. Mix them in a bowl and let stand for a few mins and the mixture will come out looking like this…
Kind of a mushy goopy, but it’s the perfect combination to add moisture and glue your meatballs together.
Fold the breadcrumb/milk mixture in to the remaining meatball ingredients and roll into balls. I like to bake my meatballs, but you can also cook them stovetop. Either way, get them nice and brown. While they are cooking, whisk up your gravy.
Add your meatballs to the gravy and serve with mashed potatoes. Truly this is a pretty easy recipe- whip it up and give it a try. If you really want the full Swedish experience, add a spoonful of Lingonberry sauce to the side. It creates a heavenly flavor combination! Hope you enjoy!
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Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
1 lbs ground beef
1/2 onion minced
1 egg
1/2 C Italian breadcrumbs
1/2 C milk
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper
Gravy
6 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp Flour
3 C Beef Broth
1/2 C Heavy Cream
Salt and Pepper
Instructions
Meatballs
Soak bread crumbs in milk until absorbed.
Combine all ingredients and roll into 1 1/2 balls and place on a lined baking sheet.
Bake at 375 degs for 15-20 mins or until browned and cooked through.
Gravy
While meatballs are baking, melt butter in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat.
When melted whisk in flour and continue to whisk until bubbly and lightly browned.
Slowly whisk in beef broth and allow to thicken.
Whisk in heavy cream and season with salt and pepper.
Add cooked meatballs to gravy.
Serve over mashed potatoes with Lingonberry Sauce.
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http://ohsodelicioso.com/swedish-meatballs/