Meatballs, made the Swedish way. Mormor's (Grandmother's) recipe for the classic meatball, that's adored by all and always seen at major holidays. Traditionally, here in Sweden meatballs are served with boiled or mashed potatoes, peas, cream or brown sauce (gravy), lingonberry sylt (cowberry jam) and press gurka (fresh pickled cucumber salad with dill).
First off, sauté the onions in a little butter until nicely soften but not browned. Remove from the pan and allow to cool to room temperature.
Place the minced (ground) meat blend, breadcrumbs, beef broth, sautéed onions, egg and half of the recommended salt and pepper into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle blade. If a stand mixer is not used, place ingredients in a large bowl. (See note 2.)
Mix using a medium low speed until the meat mixture appears just blended and turn off mixer.
Place the bowl of meat mixture in the fridge for 45-60 minutes.
After resting the mixture, remove from the fridge. If the mixture is too wet, thicken it by using a tablespoon of the potato flour at a time. Be careful not to add too much potato flour. Should it be too dry, add a bit of stock.
Now, take a heaping teaspoon of the mixture and either pan fry it or microwave and taste for seasoning. Adjust as needed.
Roll the meat into a ball that weighs about an ounce (30g) which should roll into a ball about an inch (25mm) in diameter.
After rolling the meatball they can be fried immediately, chilled in the fridge for cooking latter in the day or frozen. (See note 3)
Heat the butter until bubbly, but not smoking. Fry the meatballs turning often, until they're golden brown. (See note 5.)
After the cooked meatballs are removed from the frying pan, drain off the excess butter. Pour in the cup of warmed water and deglaze the pan. Be sure and scrape all the good bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and then simmer.
At this point, if you want to have a smooth gravy you must sieve (strain) the liquid. For a more rustic gravy, skip this step.
If the liquid was stained, return to frying pan and bring to a boil.
To the boiling liquid add the Knorr Homestyle beef stock (kalvfond) or bouillon cubes and mix. Return to simmer and cook for a couple of minutes until the beef stock is well blended.
Using a jar with a lid, shake the milk and flour until no lumps remain. Then pour the milk and flour mixture into the simmering stock in the frying pan and increase temperature to a medium heat. Stir continuously until the gravy thickens. Once it's to your liking, reduce heat to a simmer.
Add the cream and soy to the gravy and give it a good stir. Taste the gravy for seasoning and adjust if needed.
Lastly, stir in the jam until well mixed and serve in a warmed bowl.