Swedish-Style Meatballs with Cream Gravy and Lingonberries
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats, NYT Cooking and America's Test Kitchen.
This follows the same method as our classic meatballs, but the all-beef mixture is spiced with allspice, nutmeg, white pepper and grated onion, pan-fried in butter and oil, then finished in a cream gravy made in the same pan and served with lingonberry jam, with no garlic, parmesan or tomato sauce.
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Method
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Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- large heavy frying pan (28-30 cm)
- instant-read probe thermometer
- whisk
- slotted spoon
- plate lined with kitchen paper
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 736 kcal |
| Protein | 38 g |
| Carbohydrate | 26.7 g |
| of which sugars | 11.1 g |
| of which free sugars | 7.2 g |
| Fat | 52.8 g |
| of which saturates | 23.1 g |
| Fibre | 1.4 g |
| Salt | 2.5 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
5.2 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 4 servings
Meatballs
- 60 g day-old white bread, crusts removed, torn into small pieces
- 90 ml whole milk
- 650 g beef mince, 15% fat
- 1 small onion, very finely grated about 120 g
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 4.5 g fine sea salt or table salt about ¾ tsp
Frying
- 15 g unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
Gravy
- 25 g unsalted butter
- 25 g plain flour
- 400 ml beef stock, low-salt or homemade check stock label for celery
- 120 ml double cream
- 1.5 g fine sea salt or table salt about ¼ tsp
To serve
- 4 tbsp lingonberry jam (or cranberry sauce), to serve
- 1 tbsp dill or parsley, chopped
- 1
Make the panade. Soak the torn bread in the milk for 5 minutes, then mash to a smooth paste. This gives the meatballs a moist crumb to hold onto once they're fried and spiced.
- 2
Mix and shape. Add the beef mince, grated onion with its juice, egg, allspice, nutmeg, white pepper and the meatball salt to the bread paste. Beat with your hand or a wooden spoon for 1-2 minutes, until sticky and slightly pale — this firmer mixing, rather than a light touch, is what gives these meatballs their fine, springy texture. With wet hands, roll into walnut-sized balls of about 25g each, making roughly 36 in total.
- 3
Fry in batches. Heat the butter and oil in the large frying pan over medium heat until the butter foams. Fry the meatballs in two batches, shaking the pan to roll them, for 8-10 minutes per batch, until browned all over and a probe thermometer in the centre of one reads 71°C. Lift onto a paper-lined plate to drain while you make the gravy.
- 4
Make the cream gravy. Pour off all but about a tablespoon of fat from the pan, then add the butter and flour and stir over medium heat for 2 minutes until light golden. Whisk in the stock gradually, scraping up the browned bits from the base of the pan, then stir in the cream and simmer for 3-4 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon; season with the gravy salt.
- 5
Finish and serve. Return the meatballs to the gravy and warm through for 2 minutes. Scatter over the dill and serve with the lingonberry jam alongside — its sharp sweetness cuts through the richness of the gravy.
Storage
Keeps in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or frozen (without the cream gravy, which can split) for up to 2 months. Reheat gently on the stove, stirring, until piping hot throughout (74°C), adding a splash of stock if the gravy has thickened too much. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
