Swedish meatballs

Swedish meatballs
Swedish meatballs
Serves: 6
Course: Main Course
Cooking Time: 0 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

  • 400g pork mince
  • 400g beef mince
  • 80g breadcrumbs
  • 2tbsp chopped dill, and extra to serve
  • 1 small red onion, finely chopped
  • 2 eggs
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2tbsp olive oil
  • 1tbsp butter
  • 2tbsp plain flour
  • 600ml stock
  • 150g crème fraiche
  • Serve with mashed potatoes, green beans and cranberry sauce

1 Mix together the minced meat, breadcrumbs, dill, onion, eggs and mustard. Season well with salt and pepper. This can be done in a large bowl, by hand, or in a mixer with a paddle attachment. Once mixed well, use a tablespoon to portion the mix into small meatballs, they can be easily rolled with wet hands.

2 Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and cook the meatballs in batches till golden and cooked though. I like them to take on a good dark colour in places, for flavour. Set them aside and keep them warm.

3 Place a tablespoon of butter in the frying pan and melt it over a low heat. Whisk in the flour till it forms a paste, then slowly whisk in the stock till smooth. Bring to a simmer and leave to thicken, then season with salt and a little pepper. Add the crème fraiche and a tablespoon of dill.

4 Pour this gravy over the meatballs and cover with a lid. Bring to a simmer for 10-15 minutes so that all of the flavours can develop.

5 Sprinkle the meatballs with a little dill and serve with mashed potato, green beans and a dollop of cranberry sauce.

Lilly Higgins

Lilly Higgins

Lilly Higgins, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a food writer