“Swedish export, top chef Marcus Samuelsson, credits his grandmother Helga with teaching him how to cook, notably this version of traditional Swedish meatballs.
4-6 SERVINGS
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
For the meatballs:
½ cup dry breadcrumbs
¼ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
½ pound ground chuck or sirloin
½ pound ground veal
½ pound ground pork
2 tablespoons honey
1 large egg
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
Combine the breadcrumbs and heavy cream in a small bowl; stir with a fork until all the crumbs are moistened. Set aside. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, until softened. Remove from the heat. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, veal, pork, onion, honey, and egg, and mix well with your hands. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the breadcrumb-cream mixture and mix well. With wet hands (to keep the mixture from sticking), shape the mixture into meatballs the size of golf balls, placing them on a plate lightly moistened with water. You should have about 24 meatballs. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meatballs, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning frequently, for about 7 minutes, until browned on all sides and cooked through. Transfer the meatballs to a plate, and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet.
For the sauce:
1 cup chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup lingonberry preserves
2 tablespoons pickle juice
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
Return the meatball skillet to the heat, whisk in the stock, cream, preserves, and pickle juice, and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the meatballs to the sauce, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are heated through.