Swedish Meatballs and Gravy
Swedish Meatballs and Gravy
You’ll need…
For the Meatballs:
• 1 slice white bread, shredded fine by hand
• 1/2 cup milk and heavy cream mixed
• 2 large eggs
• 4 clove minced garlic
• 1/3 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp Allspice
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• 1 large shallot, diced fine
• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 tablespoons fresh, finely chopped parsley
For the Gravy:
• 6 Tbsp oil (total) of your choice
• 4 ounces mushrooms sliced thin (I like baby bellas)
• ½ of a large onion sliced thin
• 1 cup beef broth/stock
• 1 cup vegetable broth/stock (If you don’t have it, use 2 cups beef broth/stock)
• 1/4 all purpose flour
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp Knorr Liquid Seasoning (use soy sauce if you don’t have this)
• 1 tsp Worcester sauce
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 3 Tbsp sour cream (I prefer Mexican sour cream if you can find it – Here in TX, it’s easy to find)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp Allspice
• ¼ tsp Nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to season
How to put it all together…
In a large bowl, mix the finely shredded bread together with the wet ingredients for the meatballs. That’d be the milk/cream mix and the two eggs. Then, add the garlic, salt, pepper and spices. Allow the mixture to soak into the breadcrumbs for at least 15 minutes. Don’t skip this step. Letting them soak will meld the flavors.
Once the seasoned milk has soaked in for 15 minutes or more, add in the onion, the meat mix, and parsley. Mix well with your hands until everything looks homogeneous.
Form up your meatballs into 2 inch balls.
You can cook them two ways. Either in the oven or in a cast iron pan.
Oven: Put your meatballs into an oven safe baking pan. Try to get a little space between them for airflow. Put them into a preheated oven at 375 for about 20 minutes. That’ll cook them through at about a two inch size.
Cast iron pan: Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan on medium heat (per batch). Fry the meatballs in two or more batches so they don’t stew or simmer as their juices leak out. Move the completed meatballs to a warm plate and cover with foil.
Add 2 Tbsp to the juices in the pan and let it get hot. Add the onions and mushrooms to the hot pan, and sprinkle some salt over them. Saute the onions and mushrooms until they get soft and start to break down.
Add another 2 Tbsp of oil and let it get hot again. Then whisk in the flour until it dissolves and gets brown. Pour in the broth/stock and let it integrate, whisking while you pour. Once integrated and hot again, add the cream, the Knorr Liquid Seasoning (or soy sauce if you don’t have the Knorr), the Worcester sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, Allspice, Nutmeg, and the dijon. Bring to a to simmer.
After it’s been simmering for a few minutes, add the sour cream and let it integrate. Once integrated, add the heavy cream, along with the meatballs and some of their juices. and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix to coat the meatballs with the sauce, and let simmer for about 5 more minutes until the sauce thickens up to your desired consistency.
