Swedish Meatballs

Serves 4 to 6.   Published January 1, 2009.   From Cook's Illustrated.

The traditional accompaniments for Swedish meatballs are lingonberry preserves and Swedish Pickled Cucumbers (see related recipe). If you can’t find lingonberry preserves, cranberry preserves may be used. For a slightly less sweet dish, omit the brown sugar in the meatballs and reduce the brown sugar in the sauce to 2 teaspoons. A 12-inch slope-sided skillet can be used in place of the sauté pan—use 1 1/2 cups of oil to fry instead of 1 1/4 cups. The meatballs can be fried and then frozen for up to 2 weeks. To continue with the recipe, thaw the meatballs in the refrigerator overnight and proceed from step 3, using a clean pan. Serve the meatballs with mashed potatoes, boiled red potatoes, or egg noodles.

Ingredients

Meatballs
1	large egg
1/4	cup heavy cream
1	large slice high-quality white sandwich bread , crusts removed and bread torn into 1-inch pieces
8	ounces ground pork
1	small onion , grated on large holes of box grater (about 1/4 cup)
1/8	teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8	teaspoon ground allspice
1/8	teaspoon ground black pepper
1	teaspoon packed brown sugar (see note)
1 1/2	teaspoons table salt
1	teaspoon baking powder
8	ounces 85 percent lean ground beef
1 1/4	cups vegetable oil
Sauce
1	tablespoon unsalted butter
1	tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2	cups low-sodium chicken broth
1	tablespoon packed brown sugar (see note)
1/2	cup heavy cream
2	teaspoons juice from 1 lemon

Instructions

1. 1. For the Meatballs: Whisk egg and cream together in medium bowl. Stir in bread and set aside. Meanwhile, in stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat pork, onion, nutmeg, allspice, pepper, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder on high speed until smooth and pale, about 2 minutes, scraping bowl as necessary. Using fork, mash bread mixture until no large dry bread chunks remain; add mixture to mixer bowl and beat on high speed until smooth and homogeneous, about 1 minute, scraping bowl as necessary. Add beef and mix on medium-low speed until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl as necessary. Using moistened hands, form generous tablespoon of meat mixture into 1-inch round meatball; repeat with remaining mixture to form 25 to 30 meatballs.
2. 2. Heat oil in 10-inch straight-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat until edge of meatball dipped in oil sizzles (oil should register 350 degrees on instant-read thermometer), 3 to 5 minutes. Add meatballs in single layer and fry, flipping once halfway through cooking, until lightly browned all over and cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. (Adjust heat as needed to keep oil sizzling but not smoking.) Using slotted spoon, transfer browned meatballs to paper towel-lined plate.
3. 3. For the Sauce: Pour off and discard oil in pan, leaving any fond (browned bits) behind. Return pan to medium-high heat and add butter. When foaming subsides, add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until flour is light brown, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in broth, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits. Add brown sugar and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce is reduced to about 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream and return to simmer.
4. 4. Add meatballs to sauce and simmer, turning occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

REAL SWEDISH MEATBALLS

Cook´s Illustrated: Published January 1, 2009.

Meatballs have to be Sweden’s national dish for a reason. What’s the secret to making them light, springy, and flavorful?

The Problem

Too often, most recipes for this dish produce flavorless balls of ground beef or pork covered with thick, grainy sauces.

The Goal

Substantial yet delicate meatballs with a sausagelike springiness and satisfying snap, accompanied by a light cream sauce instead of heavy, brown gravy.

The Solution

We began with a combination of beef and pork and a panade—a paste of bread and liquid that is mixed into the meat. Although these yielded moist meatballs, they were too tender and practically fell apart. A panade works in two ways: Its liquid adds moisture, and the bread starch gets in the way of the meat’s proteins, preventing them from interconnecting and becoming tough. But it can result in meatballs that barely hold together. Thinking of other ingredients that lightened food, we turned to baking powder. Combining baking powder and a slice of bread mixed with cream provided moistness, substance, and lightness. To get sausagelike springiness, we took a cue from sausage-making techniques and used our stand mixer to whip the pork with salt, baking powder, and seasonings before adding the panade and gently folding in the ground beef. The results? The panade and baking powder kept the meatballs delicate and juicy, the whipped pork distributed the fat and provided spring, and the barely mixed beef offered heartiness. For the cooking method, shallow frying worked best—it browned the meatballs evenly and cooked them through. The final step was the sauce. Using mostly stock, a bit of cream lightened things, and some sugar helped balance flavors. A splash of lemon juice added just before serving lent brightness to these light, juicy Swedish meatballs.