Recipe

Köttbullar (Swedish meatballs)

4 servings (about 30 meatballs) · prep 30 min · cook 30 min

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• dinner
• nordic
• winter

Authored by the maintainer; classical Swedish home method — beef-and-pork blend, cream gravy from the pan drippings.

Ingredients

the meatballs

• 300 g ground beef (15% fat)
• 300 g ground pork
• 60 g stale breadcrumbs (or panko)
• 120 ml whole milk (to soak the crumbs)
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1.5 tsp fine sea salt — Trapani salt pans

the cook

• 60 g butter (for cooking)

the gravy

• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 300 ml beef stock
• 150 ml heavy cream
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce — Yuasa shoyu brewery
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

the serve

• Lingonberry jam for serving (Scandinavian; raw cranberry compote is an acceptable substitute)

Method

1. Soak breadcrumbs in milk for 10 minutes. They'll absorb almost all the milk. · 10 min
2. Sweat the diced onion in 1 tbsp butter over medium-low heat 6 minutes until translucent. Cool slightly. · 6 min
3. Mix beef, pork, soaked breadcrumbs, cooked onion, egg, allspice, white pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Mix gently with your hands — overworking makes tough meatballs. Refrigerate 20 minutes. · 20 min
4. Shape into walnut-sized balls (about 25 g each). Wet your hands between batches to prevent sticking. You should get about 30 balls.
5. Heat 2 tbsp butter in a wide pan over medium heat. Cook meatballs in batches, 10 minutes per batch, rolling them gently so all sides brown. Don't crowd — crowded meatballs steam, not brown. · 10 min
6. Lift cooked meatballs to a plate. Keep warm.
7. Make the gravy in the same pan. Melt 1 tbsp butter in the meatball drippings over medium heat. Sprinkle flour over and whisk 60 seconds — should turn into a pale roux.
8. Pour in the beef stock, whisking. Bring to a simmer; let thicken 3 minutes. · 3 min
9. Stir in cream, soy sauce, and Dijon. Simmer 2 minutes more. Taste — adjust salt.
10. Return meatballs to the gravy. Warm through 3 minutes. · 3 min
11. Plate with mashed potatoes, a generous spoon of lingonberry jam, and pickled cucumbers on the side.

Notes

Köttbullar are home food in Sweden — a Sunday roast equivalent, not a
restaurant dish. The IKEA version is *not unlike* the Swedish home
version, which is the same observation Swedes always make and slightly
resent making.

The lingonberry jam is structural to the plate, not optional. The
sweet-acid tartness of the berries cuts through the rich cream gravy
in exactly the way the dish needs.