Köttbullar

Köttbullar (Swedish Meatballs)

Classic Swedish meatballs made with a mix of beef and pork, soaked breadcrumbs, and warm allspice, fried in butter and served with a creamy brown gravy, lingonberry jam, and potatoes.

Prep

30 min

Cook

30 min

Total

60 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •400 g (14 oz) ground beef, about 10–15% fat
• •200 g (7 oz) ground pork
• •80 g (3 oz) dry breadcrumbs, plain, not panko
• •120 ml (½ cup) milk, whole milk
• •1 whole egg, large
• •1 whole onion, finely grated or very finely chopped
• •1 tsp ground allspice
• •1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• •0.5 tsp (½ tsp) black pepper
• •40 g (3 tbsp) butter, for frying, plus more if needed
• •30 g (2 tbsp) butter, for the gravy
• •30 g (2 tbsp) plain flour, for the gravy
• •400 ml (1⅔ cups) beef stock, warm
• •100 ml (scant ½ cup) double cream, or cooking cream
• •1 tbsp soy sauce, optional, for colour and depth
• •200 g (7 oz) lingonberry jam, to serve; cranberry sauce is the closest substitute
• •800 g (1¾ lb) potatoes, for boiling or mashing

Steps

1. 1 Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk in a large bowl for 10 minutes, until the milk is absorbed.
2. 2 Add the ground beef, ground pork, grated onion, egg, allspice, salt, and pepper to the bowl. Mix with your hands until just combined - do not overwork, or the meatballs will be tough.
3. 3 Wet your hands and roll the mixture into balls of about 20 g (¾ oz) each, roughly the size of a walnut. You should get about 30–35 meatballs.
4. 4 Melt 40 g (3 tbsp) butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the meatballs in a single layer, working in batches if needed so the pan is not crowded.
5. 5 Fry, turning occasionally, for 8–10 minutes total, until deeply browned all over and cooked through. Cut one open to check: no pink remains and the centre reads 71°C (160°F) on a probe thermometer.
6. 6 Transfer the cooked meatballs to a plate and keep warm. Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan.
7. 7 For the gravy, melt 30 g (2 tbsp) butter in the same pan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute until it smells biscuity and turns pale golden.
8. 8 Gradually pour in the warm beef stock, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Add the soy sauce if using.
9. 9 Simmer for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
10. 10 Stir in the cream and return the meatballs to the pan. Warm through gently for 2 minutes - do not let it boil hard once the cream is in, or it may split. Taste and adjust the salt.
11. 11 Serve the meatballs and gravy hot with boiled or mashed potatoes and a spoonful of lingonberry jam on the side.