Köttbullar with Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

• 1⅛ lbminced meatroughly equal parts beef and pork
• 1⅓ ozbreadcrumbsor crustless white bread; soaked as binder
• 1¼ cupsmilkabout 100 ml (or cream) for soaking the crumbs, about 200 ml for the mash
• 1eggfor the meat mixture
• 1onionfinely diced, softened in butter
• 1½ tspsaltfor the meat mixture, plus to season
• ½ tsppepperblack or white, ground
• ½ tspallspiceground, for the meat mixture
• 1 pinchnutmegfreshly grated (optional)
• 3½ ozbutterabout 40 g for the onion and frying the meatballs, the rest for the mash
• 1⅔ cupsbeef stockfor the gravy
• ¾ cupcreamfor the gravy
• 2 tbspflourto thicken the gravy, or cornstarch
• 2 tspsoy saucefor colour and depth in the gravy
• 2¼ lbpotatoesfor the mashed potatoes
• 5¼ ozlingonberry jamto serve, a little also in the gravy
• 1cucumberthinly sliced, quick-pickled in vinegar, sugar and salt, as a side
• parsleychopped, to garnish (optional)

Method

1. Soak crumbs, pickle cucumberSoak the breadcrumbs in milk or cream for 5–10 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the cucumber thinly, dress it with vinegar, sugar and salt, and leave it to pickle.
2. Soften the onionDice the onion finely, soften it in a little butter and let it cool slightly.
3. Mix the meatCombine the ground meat with the soaked crumbs, onion, egg, salt, pepper, allspice and, if you like, a pinch of nutmeg. Mix only until it comes together; don't overwork it. If you want to check the seasoning, fry a small test piece and adjust.
4. Shape the meatballsWith wet hands, roll the mixture into small balls of about 30 g each. Chill them briefly if you have time.
5. Make the mashed potatoesPeel the potatoes, boil them in salted water until tender, drain and let them steam dry. Mash with milk and butter, season with salt and keep warm.
6. Fry the meatballsFry the meatballs in butter in batches until browned all over and cooked through, 7–10 minutes, shaking the pan often. Keep the finished meatballs warm.
7. Make the gravyFor the gravy, cook the flour briefly in the pan fat, then stir in the beef stock, cream and soy sauce and bring to the boil. Season with salt, pepper and a little lingonberry jam.
8. Combine and serveAdd the meatballs to the gravy or spoon it over them. Serve with the mashed potatoes, lingonberry jam and pickled cucumber, scattered with chopped parsley if you like.

Tips and variations

Traditional Swedish recipes use white pepper and fry in butter. Instead of mixed ground meat, you can use all beef, or a mix of beef, veal and pork; crustless white bread can be soaked in place of the breadcrumbs. Deglazing the pan with a splash of water between batches gives you a stock to add to the gravy. For a richer mash, stir in plenty of grated Gruyère, and a creamy peppercorn sauce works well instead of the cream gravy. Serve everything together on warmed plates so the mash and gravy stay hot.