Food plays a large role in the celebrations and memories that we make with loved ones during the Holidays. Unfortunately, some of the traditional Christmas dishes aren’t always easy to eat.
The succulent, flavorful meats can be tough to eat (literally) for people who have TMD. Some people have to sit out the main course if they don’t want to suffer later. Luckily, a number of crafty kitchen gurus have created Holiday recipes with meat so tender you may take a few extra bites.
You already have gravy for the turkey and dressing, so why not make Swedish meatballs as well? It’s a popular Holiday dish in Sweden, and the savory meatballs won’t overwork your joints. They’re also a great option for potlucks and buffets since the meatballs can be kept warm in the crockpot.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 slices day-old white bread, crumbled
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1 small onion, minced
- 2/3 pound ground beef
- 1/3 pound finely ground pork
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or as needed
- 2 cups beef broth, or as needed
- 1/2 (8 ounce) container sour cream
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Put the breadcrumbs into a small bowl and mix in the cream. Allow the mixture to stand until the breadcrumbs absorb the cream, about 10 minutes.
- While the bread is soaking, melt 1 teaspoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it turns light brown, stirring continuously (about 10 minutes). Place onion into a mixing bowl. Mix it with the ground beef, ground pork, egg, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, allspice and ginger. Lightly mix in the breadcrumbs and cream.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Pinch off about 1 1/2 tablespoon of the meat mixture per meatball, and form into balls. Place the meatballs into the skillet and cook just until the outsides are brown (about 5 minutes). Insides of the meatballs will still be pink.
- Place the browned meatballs into a baking dish, pour in chicken broth and cover with foil.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the meatballs are tender (about 40 minutes). Remove from the oven and move the meatballs to a serving dish.
- To make brown gravy, pour pan drippings into a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the flour into the pan drippings until smooth and gradually whisk in enough beef broth to total about 2 1/2 cups of liquid. Bring the gravy to a simmer, whisking constantly until thick (about 5 minutes).
- Just before serving, whisk in the sour cream. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Now you’re ready to serve the gravy with the meatballs.