This is a recipe I adapt for the time and energy I have. Sometimes I make it “deconstructed,” like a hamburger gravy, meaning I just brown the meat mixture loose instead of making meatballs. Sometimes I cook the meatballs in the oven on a baking sheet because I don’t feel like splattering butter and grease everywhere cooking them on the stovetop. We raise both beef and lamb on our farm, and my husband hunts, so I use whatever red meat we have on hand at the time. You could even do it with venison if you wanted. I don’t put cardamom in the meatballs because I don’t have it on hand at my house, but the original recipe calls for it, so if you have it and like that flavor, go for it!
Ingredients for meatballs:
- 2 cups breadcrumbs or cubed bread
- ¼ cup milk
- 4 tbsp. butter, divided
- 1 medium yellow or white onion, grated
- 1 egg
- 1 lb. ground beef or ground lamb
- ½ lb. ground pork
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- Dash ground cardamom (optional)
Ingredients for sauce:
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 3 tbsp. flour
- 2 cups beef stock
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp. lingonberry, red currant, raspberry or cranberry jelly, to taste (optional!)
- To taste salt and pepper
Directions:
- FOR MEATBALLS: Place breadcrumbs in a large bowl and mix with milk. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes. If using bread cubes, shred them up once milk is absorbed.
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a pan on medium-high heat. Stir in grated onion and cook until translucent and softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for a minute.
- Stir cooled onions into the milk-breadcrumb mixture. Add the egg, meat, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cardamom (if you’re using it). Use hands to mix everything together until well combined.
- Use hands to form mixture into meatballs about 1 ¼ inch to 1 ½ inch wide. Meatballs will be on wetter side.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a large pan over medium heat, and when it’s hot, start adding meatballs to brown on all sides. Once meatballs are cooked through, remove them from the pan and set aside.
- FOR SAUCE: Add 3 tablespoons butter to a pan, and heat on medium-high heat until melted and starting to bubble. Whisk in 3 tablespoons flour. Stir until smooth. Continue to stir, allowing flour mixture to cook several minutes, until the roux is the color of coffee with cream.
- Slowly add beef stock, stirring constantly. The stock will sputter at first, and the roux may seize up, but keep adding stock and stirring. The sauce will loosen and become silky.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in sour cream. If you are including jelly, stir it in now or serve it on the side. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Return the meatballs to the pan with the sauce and cook on low heat to warm them through for a few minutes. Serve over rice, mashed potatoes or egg noodles.
