A Poultry Take on Swedish Meatballs

My Tips & Short Cuts to Ease the Meatball Making Process

Making any meatball recipe, from scratch, is a labor of love.  I equate it to puppy love; falling hard and strong in the beginning, and then slowly realizing that what you have gotten yourself into is going to require a bit more work than you had hoped for.  Swedish meatballs are no exception to this rule.  The ingredient list is short and simple, but I quickly realize why it has been 3 years since I last made the recipe.

In defense of the process, I likely make it more difficult on myself as I have a motto about cooking: "If I am going to dirty dishes then it will be worth it, and I will get a minimum of four meals out of it!"  I double, triple, and quadruple recipes so that I have plenty to freeze.  Doubling my recipe meant that I had 120 meatballs to scoop, brown, and simmer.

Having made quite a few meatballs, Swedish and other, I have picked up a few tricks along the way.  Let me walk you through my process and share my lessons learned.

The recipe I use calls for grated onion.  There is no shortcut here, other than a good old-fashioned cheese grater.  I prefer to cut the onions in half, peel off the outer skin, and then grate the same way you would a block of cheese.

Day old sandwich bread is best.  Tip: Sharp knife!  You can use a bread knife, but the bread knife does cause the bread to shred, leaving a lot of crumbs behind.  Use a very sharp straight-edge knife to have far less crumbs and waste.

I prefer to grind my own meat.  I have an attachment for my stand mixer, but there are various stand-alone grinders available at any kitchen store.  To me, this is a lean chicken breast - virtually no fat at all.  (And yes, that is chicken and not turkey.  I am questioning my organic meat providers as this is surely not a normal-sized bird).

I favor a more coarse grind for meatballs.  It helps the meatball retain some texture, and makes the conditions less favorable for over-mixing the meat as you can quickly incorporate ingredients into a thicker ground product.

Whole nutmeg, freshly ground, will change your mind about nutmeg completely.  I have tried grinding my own cinnamon, allspice, and dried ginger - the variance between pre-ground and freshly-ground is detectable but slight.  Nutmeg is a completely different spice when ground freshly.  Tip: Whole nutmeg is very affordable at International Markets. I paid $3 for a 3.5 oz bag that had approximately 20 whole nutmeg.

Tip: Quick mixing. When adding your spices to the ground meat, sprinkle them out evenly across the bowl.  This will allow for easier incorporation into the final product.

Often savory recipes are considered to be more of a guide than an exact science.  My recipe proportions, along with the specific brands of products I used, did not provide for complete absorption of the milk.  I just poured the excess moisture off before proceeding to the next step.

Tip: Food processor options.  Food processors are very useful kitchen tools.  So useful that some recipes call for them when they really are not needed.  My recipe calls for the bread/milk mixture to be pulverized in a food processor, I opted for my trusty hand tool - the pastry cutter.

Tip: Unless a recipe specifically states "whole eggs" assume you can scramble them.  I should have scrambled my eggs before adding them to the bowl.  As I did not, extra time was required to break the yolks and make sure that everything was evenly incorporated.

The meatball mixture will be moist, almost soggy.  It should be combined to the point where it will just hold together on its own, but not hold a firm and perfect circular shape.  If it is too lose then add a bit of bread crumbs, a few tablespoons at a time, and mix until the right consistency is achieved.

Tip: Water is your best friend when handling raw ground meat.  I keep a spray bottle handy for any surface, including my hands, that will come in contact with raw ground meat.  The meat does not stick to the water, which makes for easier handling.  Be sure to refresh the water spray on your hands frequently.

Tip: Use an ice cream scoop.  No need to roll and fuss with the shape, just scoop out uniformed sized balls onto a tray.  It goes quickly!  I used a 2 Tbsp size ice cream scoop.

To expedite the process, I prefer to scoop out enough meatballs to fill my cooking pan 3 times.  Each round of meatballs takes approximately 5 - 7 minutes to brown completely.  I use that down time to scoop the remaining meatball mixture onto my baking tray.

Everything is better with Butter, so they say.  I can usually take or leave it.  In fact, I often substitute various oils in place of it.  But, when it comes to making Swedish Meatballs you should stick with the full-fat golden stick of deliciousness that is butter.  The browned butter is a major contributor to the rich taste of the final product.

Do not crowd the pan!  We hear that often, but seriously - do not do it.  Leave enough space to properly flip each meatball, without the danger of sending sizzling butter/fat splashing about.

Tip: Expedite by adding a second pan.  Browning in two pans at once is the way to go.  Your cooking time will be much faster, and you are only adding one additional dish to the clean up.

Tip: Use an insulated and covered vessel to hold your partially cooked product.  The meatballs will be browned, but not cooked through.  This recipe calls for them to finish the cooking process in a sauce.  The colder the meatballs are allowed to get, the longer it will take them to come back to temperature and then progress to a completely cooked temperature.  I like my cast iron dutch oven, but any covered dish will do (Pyrex, another pot, etc...).

Tip: Do not be too fussy about the shape of the meat "ball."  The recipe calls for the meatballs to be browned on all sides, but rotating a sphere in order to get a 360-degree brown is a bit more than I am willing to commit to.  These meatballs are more likely to flatten on the first side that cooks.  It was easier for me to just flip them, 180-degrees, and give them a little push downward to complete a meat "disk" rather than a "ball."  This method requires browning on only 2 sides, rather than the full 360-degrees.

Tip: Maggie Chicken Cubes!  When it comes to chicken stock I have been holding back a little secret from my friends and family.  These delightful little cubes are concentrated bombs of deliciousness.  I first found them at an international grocery store, but I have seen them in my local big box stores as well.

There are two versions:  The original version can be found at Walmart, in the international foods isle closest to the Hispanic food section.  The Arabic/Halal version (which tastes identical to the original) is available on Amazon, for less than 1/2 of the price.  

Tip: Melt multiple cubes in 1 cup of water first.  Making stock from Maggie cubes is a simple formula of 2 cups of water per 1 cube.  In a situation where I am going to use more than 2 cups of stock, I put all of my cubes into 1 cup of water.  That goes into the microwave, on high for approximately 3 minutes.  I stir the mixture until all of the cubes dissolve, and then I add the remaining water.

Microwaving 1 cup of water is faster, and safer, than working with 8 cups of hot water at once.

The remnants in the pan just after browning the last batch of meatballs.

Tip: Silicone coated tongs make a great instrument for stirring.  I prefer to minimize the after-cook dish duty, so I look for items that will multi-task well.  Silicone tongs are excellent for stirring and whisking sauces in a hot pan.

Tip: More sauce please!  If you have a sauce hungry family, like mine, then consider making the sauce to 1.5 times the recipe.

Tip: Sprinkle the flour evenly across the pan to avoid lumps.  I did not heed my own advice, and dumped my flour in.  I spent an extra few minutes whisking/stirring out the clumps.

Once the flour has been completely dissolved, cook the mixture until it becomes the color of coffee with creamer.

Slowly incorporate the chicken stock, and stir until the sauce becomes a lightly thick gravy.  Return the meatballs to the pot, cover, and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through (approximately 20 minutes).

Tip: Freeze Here!  If you have made excess, with the intention of  putting it in the freezer for a later date, this is the point in the process to do that.  Allow the product to cool and package accordingly.  Reheating can be done in the microwave, stove top, or slow cooker.

You could freeze once the sour cream has been added, but my experience has shown that the sour cream tends to separate from the sauce once frozen and reheated. It still tastes great, just looks a little different.

 Were you aware that sour cream comes in a squeeze pouch now?  I just discovered this.  Thanks Daisy!

 

Once the meatballs are cooked, you are in the home stretch.  The table should be set, the beverages poured, and napkins in laps.  All that remains is stirring in the sour cream.

Voila!  Swedish-style Meatballs.  A hearty portion is approximately 5 meatballs, so you should have 12 servings in the pan.  That should do for a few nights of dinner.

If you cannot make it to ikea for some Lingonberry Preserves, canned cranberries will do.

A hearty portion or decadent and rich food.  It is a shame that I managed to overcook the peas, but they were still delicious!  Had I not intended on photographing my dinner, the peas would have been perfect.  Go figure!

Delicate, decadent, moist, and delicious.  If someone had tried to convince me that chicken, bread, milk, allspice, and nutmeg made the most delicious meatballs I would have called them crazy.  They are a wonderful addition to a holiday menu, and often the feature of our Easter meal.

The full, and printable, recipe is here.