Madhouse recipe : Swedish-style Baked Meatballs

Apparently this dish tastes like Ikea meatballs. I have no idea, as we haven't got an Ikea local to us, but I've heard various people mentioning how tasty their meatballs are, so that's presumably a good thing ! The original recipe came from the Pioneer Woman, so it uses various American ingredients that have been swapped for European ones. You can check out the original recipe for Pioneer Woman Baked Swedish Meatballs here. I thought it was nice enough, but I'd add extra herbs and spices to the meatballs next time and I wasn't a huge fan of the sauce. I personally think a tomato-based sauce would be better. It would give the photo a bit more colour too ! The main reason I loved this dish though was because it was great fun making them with my son, Pierre. He really got hands on and pretty much made the whole thing himself, with a bit of explanation from me. Well done Pierre !

Swedish-style Baked Meatballs

ingredients :

500g minced beef

500g minced pork

1 cup breadcrumbs (I just shook some out of the box without measuring)

1tsp salt (the original recipe used two but that sounded a lot)

1tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2tsp garlic powder

1tsp smoked paprika 

1tsp Italian seasoning (or oregano, basil, herbes de Provence ... whatever you have)

1/4tsp nutmeg (I left this out as we don't like the flavour)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

60ml milk

For the sauce :

5tbsp salted butter

5tbsp flour

1tsp salt

1/2tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 cups milk (again, I just splashed some in there without measuring !)

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Put all of the ingredients into a large bowl. Feel free to add extra spices in there. I'd even be tempted to add a grated onion and maybe some fresh chopped garlic to the mix for extra flavour. 

Wash your hands and get mixing ! Pierre loved doing this, even after I warned him it was raw meat ! Don't over-mix it though - you don't want the meatballs to end up overworked and tough.

Roll into meatballs that about 5cm across and dot them across a baking tray covered in foil. (You don't really need the foil, but it does make it easier to clean !)

Off to the oven for about 20 minutes or so. Choose one sacrificial meatball and chop it in half to check it's cooked right through to the middle. Put them back in the oven for a few more minutes if it isn't.

While the meatballs are cooking, you can work on the sauce. Melt the butter and whisk in the flour, salt and pepper.

Cook for two minutes or so, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon or a whisk to get rid of any lumps.

Add the milk and keep on whisking until you have a lump free sauce. Keep cooking and stirring until the sauce thickens and comes to the boil. Keep on stirring for another minute then turn off the heat. Taste it and see what you think. I thought it was way too bland so I added extra pepper and more herbs and spices. 

Take the meatballs out of the oven.

Serve with mashed potatoes. I did a simple green salad on the side but this would work well with peas and carrots, ratatouille, green beans, ... whatever you fancy really.

I drizzled some of the sauce over the top of the meatballs (the original recipe said to roll the meatballs in the sauce before serving) but the kids ate theirs without sauce.

It's a great family dish, as much fun to make as to eat. I'd definitely play about with the spices in the meatballs and change the sauce though, as it was a bit too bland.