IKEA Swedish Meatballs
Small, soft beef and pork meatballs seasoned with allspice and nutmeg, browned in a skillet and finished in the oven, then turned through a roux cream gravy sharpened with soy sauce and Dijon. Serve over mashed potato with lingonberry jam.
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 3/4 lb ground beef not extra lean
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for browning
- 1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs unseasoned
- 6 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 small onion very finely diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
For the Cream Gravy
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 3/4 cup beef stock
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Frying pan or skillet
- Oven-safe Baking Dish
- Whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
Instructions
Mix and Roll
- Soak the crumbs: Stir the breadcrumbs into the milk in a large bowl and leave them for 5 minutes, until wet all the way through and starting to fall apart.
- Add everything else: Tip in the ground beef, ground pork, onion, garlic, egg, salt, allspice, nutmeg and white pepper.
- Fold gently: Fold it all together with a spatula until uniform, then stop. Compacted meat cooks up tight and springy.
- Roll and chill: Shape into about 24 small meatballs with damp hands, arrange them on a plate and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
Brown and Bake
- Brown in batches: Heat the vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat and brown the meatballs on several sides, turning them carefully. They do not need to cook through. Move them to an oven dish as they are done.
- Bake: Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer pushed into the largest meatball reads 160°F (71°C).
Make the Cream Gravy
- Start the roux: Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium heat, scraping at the browned bits. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, until it smells nutty but has taken no color beyond pale gold.
- Add the liquid slowly: Pour in the vegetable stock in three or four additions, whisking each one completely smooth before the next. Follow with the beef stock, then the cream.
- Season and thicken: Stir in the soy sauce and Dijon mustard and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, until the gravy coats the back of a spoon and a line drawn through it holds for a second.
Finish and Serve
- Coat and serve: Return the baked meatballs to the skillet and turn them gently until every one is covered. Serve hot over mashed potato with lingonberry jam alongside.
Notes
Soaking the breadcrumbs in milk before the meat goes in is what keeps the meatballs soft. Mix with a light hand and stop as soon as the mixture looks uniform.
Chilling the rolled meatballs for 20 minutes, or up to a day, helps them hold their shape in the pan. They can also be rolled and frozen raw for up to 3 months, then browned straight from frozen with a few extra minutes in the pan and 5 more in the oven.
Add the stock to the roux in three or four splashes, whisking each one smooth before the next, or the gravy goes lumpy. A lumpy sauce can still be saved by pushing it through a sieve.
Cooked meatballs and gravy keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat gently over low heat with a splash of stock or cream, because the sauce tightens as it sits.
For a gluten-free version use gluten-free crumbs and thicken the gravy with a cornstarch slurry instead of the roux.
Nutrition values are an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 502kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 151mg | Sodium: 1250mg | Potassium: 511mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 800IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 2.7mg