Traditional Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and lingonberries – recipe

4 portions.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs of breadcrumbs
• 50 ml single cream
• 1 egg
• 1 tbs concentrated stock from beef, calf or chicken
• 0.5 finely chopped yellow onion
• 25 g butter
• 500 g ground mince (half pork and half beef)
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• About 1.5 tsp of salt
• Butter to fry in

Sauce:

• 2.5 dl double cream
• 1,5 tsp dark soy
• 2.5 dl beef stock (not concentrated)
• 25 g butter
• 1 tbs cornstarch (or similar) to thicken the sauce with 
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbs jam from lingonberries or cherries

To serve:

• Mashed potatoes
• Lingonberry jam
• Chopped parsley

Method:

1. Fold together bread crumbs, cream, stock and egg and leave to rest for about 5 minutes. Fry the onion in the butter until soft, then mix it with the breadcrumb cream. Add salt, pepper and mince and work everything together with your hands or fork. Try not to work it too much, as this will make the meatballs compact.
2. Take a small piece of mince and fry it to test the flavours. When satisfied with salt and pepper, roll the rest of the mince into small balls (about one tablespoon of mince per ball). Make sure your hands are wet with water so that the mince won’t stick to your hands.
3. Fry the meatballs until golden brown and thoroughly cooked, then put aside. 
   
4. Mix cream and cornstarch; then pour this, the stock and the soy into the pan where you fried the meatballs. Whisk through the pan and let boil for a couple of minutes. Taste with salt, pepper and jam for a little bit of sweetness.
5. Put the meatballs back into the sauce and serve with mashed potatoes, lingonberry jam, and maybe some chopped parsley.
   

Recipe by Lisa Lemke