Swedish Meatballs in Dill and Vodka Sauce
Posted: 24 January '12 by Niall
Swedish meatballs in dill and vodka sauce
We were lucky enough to get a bottle of Absolut Vodka at Christmas – one of the fancy “Mode Edition” bottles too – and thought we’d try a Swedish recipe for a change.
Meatballs (or Köttbullar) are as Swedish as ABBA, Volvos and saunas – they might well be considered as the national dish – and this recipe for Swedish meatballs in dill and vodka sauce are a great way to try them – the sauce is creamy and rich, but there’s a slightly bitter after-taste from the fresh dill and vodka.
That’s why Lingonberry jam is so important with for this recipe – it’s really not an optional extra – as the sweet and tart jam really works against the bitterness of the sauce for a sweet and sour kind of effect. More than that, if you’re after an authentic taste of Sweden then you have to have the jam: the Swedes have Lingonberry jam with everything.
We found Lingonberry jam in IKEA (of course), but if you can’t get your hands on some, cranberry sauce is a decent substitute.
You could serve these meatballs with buttered pasta, something like Fusilli would be perfect, although we made creamed potatoes to soak up all of that tasty vodka sauce..
Serves 4-6
You can see the photos here:
Ingredients
- 150g fresh white breadcrumbs
- 185ml double cream
- 350g minced beef
- 350g minced pork
- 1 large egg
- 1 onion, grated
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- a pinch of ground allspice
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 435ml hot beef stock
- 2 tbsp chopped dill – and a little extra to garnish
- 80ml vodka
- Lingonberry jam to serve
You’ll also need a tray to hold all of your meatballs, a large frying pan, a whisk and a large plate covered in kitchen roll.
Method
- Place the breadcrumbs in a bowl and pour 125ml of the cream on top, leaving the mixture to sit for 5 minutes and the breadcrumbs has absorbed the cream.
- Add the beef and pork mince, egg, onion, nutmeg, allspice, salt and white pepper and mix thoroughly – it’s probably easiest to use your hands for this.
- Take a thumb-sized piece of the mixture and rolll it into a ball, placing it onto your tray – continue until you’ve used up all of the meat.
- Cover the tray with a clean dish-cloth and leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours.
- When the meatballs are ready to cook, heat 1 tbsp of butter and all of the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat.
- Cook the meatballs in batches – it’s easier to manage like that – turning them over when one side browns so they cook properly. When the meatballs in the pan have browned, remove them and set on your plate to drain – and add your next batch to the pan.
- Once all of the meatballs have been cooked and are sitting on the plate, add the remaining butter and the flour to the pan and stir – this should form a thick roux.
- Slowly whisk in the hot stock and the remaining cream, making sure you scrape any cooked-on pieces of your meatballs off the pan and into your sauce.
- Add the dill and the vodka and bring the sauce to the boil, whisking continuously until smooth and thickened slightly.
- Reduce the heat to a low-medium heat and add your meatballs to the sauce, stirring the mixture so the meatballs are covered in sauce – cook for another 10 minutes.
- Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper to your liking.
- Sprinkle the remaining dill on top of the meatballs and spoon some Lingonberry preserve onto the side of the plate.
Skål!
A shot of Absolut Vodka - it'd be rude not to!
Swedish meatballs in dill and vodka sauce
More information
I found this recipe in “Snowflakes and Schnapps” by Jane Lawson.
Tags: main course, recipe, swedish food
Categories: Recipes
