Swedish Meatballs

Recently my good friend asked for Swedish Meatballs for his birthday and although I’m half Scandinavian, I don’t believe I’ve ever made them before. They were a hit with the birthday guests, so I thought you might enjoy them too. Serve as an appetizer or as entree and accompany with mashed potatoes, pickled cucumbers, and current jelly.

Swedish Meatballs Ground Bison Recipes

Ingredients: (makes 40 meatballs)
2 - 1-pound Wild Idea Premium Ground Buffalo
1 - onion, finely minced (I chop and then pulse process in food processor)
1 - cup panko crumbs
2 - teaspoons salt
1 - teaspoon allspice
1 - teaspoon cardamom
1 - teaspoon black pepper
2 - eggs, beaten
½ - cup milk
½ - cup butter melted or ¼ cup olive oil
Current or Lingonberry Preserves
Gravy recipe below.

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 500°.
Crumble the Ground Buffalo into a large bowl along with the onions and panko crumbs.
In another bowl mix the spices, eggs, and milk together and pour over the other ingredients.
Using your hands (food gloves work well for this) mix together until well incorporated. Divide mixture into 40 pieces and roll into firm balls.
Place meatballs on a baking sheet, allowing a little space between them.
Roll or brush the meatballs in melted butter or olive oil.
Place in a hot oven and bake for 5 minutes or until they are nicely browned. *They will cook a bit more when heated in the gravy.
Remove from oven and gently loosen from the pan and transfer to your gravy pan. Toss gently spooning the gravy over the meatballs. Allow the meatballs to heat through over medium high, for about 5 minutes.
Reduce heat to lowest temperature and serve straight from the pan or transfer to a holding pan or crockpot. For a true Swedish flare, accompany with preserves & pickled cucumbers.

Quick Brown Gravy
I make the gravy on the thin side, so the meatballs will have just a light glazing of the sauce. Add more flour if you prefer a thicker sauce.

Ingredients:
¼ - cup butter
1 to 2 - tablespoons flour
2 - cups buffalo or organic beef broth
½ - cup heavy cream
1 - teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste
season to taste with salt
*optional: A splash of dry sherry

Preparation:

In a skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour stirring constantly.
Whisk in the buffalo stock and bring to a boil.
Whisk in the cream, and continue to stir until sauce comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and allow the sauce to thicken a bit, about 5 minutes - stirring occassionally. *You can remove from heat until needed or refrigerate and reheat when needed.
Add the meatballs and increase heat to medium high to get all good and hot, about 5 minutes.

Comments

Bob Hiatt

March 23, 2016

I tried this recipe tonight and was delighted with the results. Since I was cooking for only my wife and me, I halved the quantities (except for the gravy, which I made especially thick), with the result that we still have enough left over for another terrific meal. The lingonberry jam made for a nice accompaniment.

Donnie Young

September 15, 2019

Today we are prepping for a dinner party tomorrow night; WI meatballs as appetizer with WI NY strips for the entree. This is my first time using Jill’s meatball recipe. Since I had three different things going at once, including a red wine sauce for the steaks, I messed up the meatballs, adding the butter into the meatball mix. When I took them out of the oven at 5 minutes, they were barely cook and crumbly. Realized my mistake and decided I would try cooking a bit longer. Worth a try. If not, I would make up a new batch tomorrow and use the mistake to make a big pot of Bolognese sauce.

The Bolognese will just have to wait. Adding another five minutes in the 500 degree oven cooked the butter out, resulting in a perfectly cooked meatball with great moisture and mouth feel. I simmered them in a marinara sauce for a few minutes and will simply heat them up before company arrives tomorrow.

Now I have to go back and try the correct meatball recipe.