Succulent Swedish Meatballs

We don’t have an Ikea near us, but like many people, we’ve heard that their Swedish meatballs are one of the reasons that people love to make the trip there. We’re so used to having meatballs in the Italian style that the idea of a different version was very strange to us - but after hearing so much buzz about them, we just had to give them a try! It’s a beautifully creamy dish, from the mashed potatoes on the side to the richness of the sauce, which is offset by the depth of the beefiness of the meatballs.

These meatballs are traditionally served with lingonberry jam. If you can’t get your hands on any (we had trouble finding it in the UK), a great alternative is cranberry sauce! The sweetness cuts through the richness of the meatballs perfectly!

Ingredients

500 g minced beef  

200 g pork sausage meat

40 g breadcrumbs

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion salt

¼ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 egg

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

500ml beef stock made with a beef stock pot

3 tablespoons natural yoghurt

Method

1.     Place the minced beef, sausage meat, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, parsley, nutmeg, salt and pepper, egg, in a bowl and mix together using your hands, until all the ingredients are completely combined.

2.     Roll mixture into 18 – 20 small meatballs and set aside.

3.     Heat oil in a large frying pan or skillet over a medium heat, then add the meatballs – cook, turning until they are brown all over and cooked through. Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel on a cooling rack.

4.     Add a small amount of the beef stock to deglaze the pan, stirring using a wooden spoon. Add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard and remaining beef stock to the pan and stir.

5.     Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer, until the sauce reduces to half the amount.

6.     Reduce the heat to its lowest setting and add the yoghurt. Mix until all of the yoghurt and the sauce have completely combined.

7.     Add the meatballs to the sauce mix and reheat slowly until the meatballs are heated through (approx. 10 to 15 mins)

Serve with creamy mashed potato or rice.