Swedish Meatballs with Lingonberry Sauce

I tried this recipe for the first time tonight - it is very unique and quite tasty!  I added some extra sour cream and lingonberry jam to the sauce, as well as plenty of seasonings (at first, it was a little bit bland).  Next time, I'm going to try making a lingonberry-balsamic reduction sauce to serve on the side instead of additional jam....

Prep Time:  30 min

Cook Time:  40 min

Serves:  6 to 8

Ingredients

1 cup fresh bread crumbs, dried out

3/4 cup milk

6 Tbsp butter

4 shallots, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp caraway seeds, toasted & ground

salt & pepper

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground pork

1 large egg

1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

(plus some for garnish)

1 handful fresh dill 

1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional)

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup lingonberry or red currant jam

(plus more for serving)

Egg noodles, prepared as directed on package

Directions

1.  In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs & milk.  Stir and let stand for 5 minutes.

2.  Melt 3 Tbsp butter in small skillet over medium heat.  Add shallots, garlic, caraway, salt, & pepper.  Saute 4 minutes until softened, but not browned.  

3.  In a large bowl, combine ground beef, pork, shallot mixture, egg, parsley, dill, and 1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional).  Season with salt & pepper.  Squeeze milk out of bread crumb mixture and add bread to the meat mixture, mixing well with your hands.

4.  Pinch off about 1/2 cup worth of meat mixture and shape with hands into "cue-ball" sized meatballs.  Place on platter - there should be about 15-20.

5.  In a large skillet, melt 2 Tbsp of butter over moderate heat.  Saute meatballs until well-browned on all sides, about 10 minutes total (or until completely cooked through). Remove meatballs from skillet onto plate lined with paper towels.

6.  Add remaining Tbsp of butter to pan and melt over medium heat.  Sprinkle in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until flour is completely dissolved.

7.  Pour in chicken broth and stir to loosen flour mixture from the bottom of the pan.  Simmer until sauce reduces and begins to thicken.  Season with salt & pepper.

8.  Lower heat and stir in the sour cream.  Slowly stir in the 1/4 cup lingonberry jam.  

9.  Return meat balls to pan, coating with sauce.  Simmer until the sauce thickens and the meatballs are heated through (about 15 minutes).  Shower with chopped parsley and transfer to serving bowl.  Serve over egg noodles with additional lingonberry jam on the side.