Surely you know the Köttbullar since they are the typical meatballs that are served in the IKEA. This is the most popular recipe in Sweden and like everything that is popular there are a thousand different recipes: the one they make in the aforementioned furniture store, the one made by the Swedish mother of each and the one of every restaurant in Sweden. At the end nobody agrees about the real recipe, so I give you the most neutral recipe possible.
INGREDIENTS (4 people):
500 grams (1.1 pounds) of minced beef
1 large onion
100 ml (half a cup) of milk
Half a cup of bread crumbs
100 grams (1.7 oz) of unsalted butter
1 egg
Salt
Ground white pepper
For the sauce:
Half a cup of (100 ml) meat broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Grate the onion and fry it in a pan with a tablespoon of butter until transparent. We reserve
In a bowl we pour the minced meat, the milk, the beaten egg, the onion that we just sauteed and the breadcrumbs. Season with salt (a teaspoon) and pepper.
Knead with your hands until it is homogeneous. It is important to make a good kneading so that the meat releases the collagen.
Once we have the dough ready, we separate pieces to form balls the size of ping pong balls. So that the dough does not stick to our hands it is better to moisten them previously with a little water.
Once we have converted the whole dough into meatballs we must store them in the refrigerator for at least an hour to consolidate.
We put the rest of the butter in a pan and when it melts we fry the meatballs until they are well browned on all sides. If the meatballs that you have made are small they will cook quickly but if they are large they can take longer and will leave a darker color. Lower the fire in the second case.
Once fried they are taken to an absorbent paper to remove excess fat.
To make the sauce the meat broth is poured into the pan and then adding the cornstarch previously diluted in a little water. Keep on the fire until it thickens and add a little salt. We pour on the meatballs and direct to be served to the diner.
They are also usually served with mashed potatoes or with cranberry jam, very typical in Swedish cuisine.