Swedish Meatballs

I LOVE Swedish meatballs. As soon as the Kary's Roux Challenge was announced, I knew what I was doing. That in itself was pretty good, because I am usually the last to decide. Next was the issue of using the dry or the wet roux. Well, since it is normally done with a flour slurry, I went with the dry. And I never needed to look back. This is such a great compliment to the meatballs. Now for the real decision, what would I serve with it? Traditionally it is egg noodles, which is what I did. But I have served this over rice, and, believe it or not, mashed potatoes. Add a couple of chunks of warm crusty bread. You are going to love this recipe.


Swedish Meatballs
by Traci B

Meatballs:
2 slices of bread

1/4 cup milk

1 Tablespoon butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 pound ground chuck
1/2 pound ground pork

2 large egg yolks, beaten

1 teaspoon plus 1 pinch salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice

In a small bowl, tear bread, add milk and set aside. Melt 1 Tablespoon butter in a small skillet, add onions and the pinch of salt, let them sweat for about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl combine meats, beaten yolks, 1 teaspoon salt and the other spices. Add onions and mix gently. You don't want to overwork these. I use a small cookie scoop to loosely form meatballs. Place onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F, until browned on all sides. I like to let them drain on a wire rack, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Sauce:
3 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup Kary's Dry Roux
1/4 cup flour
3 cups of beef or vegetable stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, melt butter. Add roux and flour to the pan. Whisk for a few minutes to incorporate them together. Slowly add broth, mixing continuously. When you have the broth mixed in, bring to a simmer. It will thicken as it cooks. If it doesn't thicken to a consistently you like, you can always add more dry roux, by the teaspoon, one at a time. Add meatballs into the sauce. Let them hang out together while you decide what to serve this with. Right before serving add cream and mix gently into the sauce. Time to check for salt and pepper. Serve and watch the faces glow!