Swedish Meatballs

Ingredients

Meatballs:

• 2 slices white bread, without the crusts, torn into pieces
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3/4 pound ground beef
• 3/4 pound ground pork
• 1 small red onion, grated or very finely chopped
• 1 egg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Butter and vegetable oil for frying meatballs

Gravy:

• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions

In a small bowl, soak the bread in the milk until soft. In a large bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients except the butter and oil, and add the soaked bread. Mix thoroughly until smooth, it's best to use your hands for this. Shape into small, golf-ball size meatballs (by dipping your hands in cold water, the meatballs won't stick to your hands.)

Heat butter and oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs, about 8 to 10 at a time, and gently brown on all sides, about 5 to 7 minutes. Shake the skillet now and then so meatballs stay round and brown evenly. Place them on a heated baking pan in a low oven to keep warm.

To make gravy, deglaze the skillet with 1 cup of the stock, letting it simmer for 5 minutes while scraping the bottom of the skillet with a spatula. Strain the gravy into a clean saucepan and add the remaining 1 cup of stock. In a small bowl, mix the flour with 1/4 cup of cold water until smooth. Whisk flour mixture into warm gravy, and let simmer, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, until thickened slightly, about 3-5 minutes. Add the cream and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, arrange the meatballs on a serving platter, pour hot gravy over them, and garnish with parsley. Serve with boiled new potatoes, lingonberry sauce, and lefse.