Swedish meatballs recipe

This classic Swedish meatball recipe uses ground beef and pork, just like the Ikea meatballs. These savoury bready, potatoey, meaty balls are a sure fire win with adults and children alike - if you're making them for children simply roll out smaller sized balls. Don't skimp on the easy creamy meat gravy or the sweet and sharp lingon berry sauce; these condiments are essential to the dish. You can experiment with this recipe by adding a teaspoon or nutmeg or cardamom to the meatball mixture. This meatball recipe can be made ahead and stored in freezer, which when cooked will give you slightly firmer meatballs.

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• 50g potatoes, diced
• 2 small knobs of butter
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 250g ground beef
• 250g ground pork
• 1 egg
• 75g breadcrumbs
• 30g butter
• ½ tsp ground allspice

For the gravy:

• 2 tbsp flour
• 400ml beef stock
• 200ml double cream

To serve

:

• Mashed potatoes
• Lingon berry or cranberry sauce

Method

1. Bring a pan of water to the boil, cook the potatoes until tender, then drain, mash and set aside to cool.
2. Heat a knob of butter in a large frying pan and gently cook the onions for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon.
3. In a large bowl mix together the mashed potato, onions, beef, pork, egg, breadcrumbs, butter, allspice and add seasoning.
4. Use your hands to shape the mixture into approximately 16 balls.
5. Heat the a knob butter in the same large pan you cooked the onions. Transfer the meatballs to the pan and cook for 15 minutes, in batches if necessary, turning frequently so that the meatballs have a golden-brown crust all the way around. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the meatballs to a plate lined with paper towel.
6. Use the same large pan, with the cooking fat, to make the gravy: Add the flour to the pan and allow to cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Gradually whisk in the stock and cook until a thick gravy forms. Remove from the heat and stir through the cream. Spoon the gravy over the meatballs and serve with mashed potatoes and lingon berry or cranberry sauce.