Aquavit's Swedish Meatballs

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fine breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 lb ground sirloin
• 1/2 lb ground veal
• 1/2 lb ground lamb
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
• 1 cup chicken stock, prefereably homemade and salt-free
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup lingonberry preserves
• 2 tablespoons juice, from quick pickled cucumbers

Recipe

• 1 prepare the meatballs.
• 2 combine the bread crumbs and 1/4 cup cream in a small bowl, stirring until all the crumbs are moistened.
• 3 set aside.
• 4 heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat.
• 5 add the onion and saute for for about five minutes, until softened.
• 6 remove from heat.
• 7 in a large bowl, combine ground beef, veal and lamb, onion, honey and egg, and mix well with your hands (remember julia--your impeccably clean hands).
• 8 season with salt and pepper to taste.
• 9 add the bread crumb/cream mixture and mix well.
• 10 with wet hands (to keep mixture from sticking) shape the mixture into meatballs the size of golfballs, placing them on a plate slightly moistened with water.
• 11 you should have about 24 meatballs.
• 12 melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• 13 add the meatballs, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning frequently, for about seven minutes, until the meatballs are browned on all sides and cooked through.
• 14 transfer the meatballs to a plate and keep warm.
• 15 discard all but one tablespoon of fat from the skillet.
• 16 prepare the sauce.
• 17 return the skillet to the heat.
• 18 whisk in the stock, 1/2 cup of cream, preserves and pickle juice, and bring to a simmer.
• 19 season to taste with salt and pepper.
• 20 add the meatballs to the sauce, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for about five minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are heated through.
• 21 serve hot with garlic mashed potatoes, lingonberry preserves and pickled cucumbers.