norwegian meatballs

For the Meatballs

     Ingredients:

• A glug of good olive oil

• 1 cup very finely diced onion

• 2—3 cloves fresh peeled garlic, chopped

• 1 lb ground beef (preferably pasture raised) or beef substitute

• 1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs, regular or panko

• 1 egg

• ½—¾ teaspoon ground ginger

• ½—¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg

• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice

• ¼—½ teaspoon ground cardamom

• 1 tsp. kosher salt

• 1/2 tsp. black pepper

• ¼—½ cup ice cold water

• Neutral Oil and butter as needed for frying

     Method:

• Warm the oil in a large skillet, then add the onion and sauté over low-medium heat until they turn golden. Then, add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Remove the skillet from the heat. You’ll use the skillet again later; no need to wash it.

• Scrape the onions and garlic into a mixing bowl with the ground beef. Add the spices, the egg, the breadcrumbs, and the salt and pepper. Go light on the spices; you can add more later if you think it’s needed. The mixture will be fairly stiff.

• Pour in a little of the ice water and work it in with your hands. Keep adding water, a little at a time, until the mixture feels soft and light, but is still firm enough to hold together in balls. Allow the meatball mix to rest for 15 minutes (or more—you can do this up to a day in advance and keep it covered in the fridge) so that the breadcrumbs can soak up all the liquid.

• Give the bowl a good sniff. Place just a bit of the mixture on your tongue. Does it want more salt? Does it want more spice? If your answer is yes, stir in a little more.

• Once your meatball mix is ready, start rolling walnut-sized balls. I like to use a 1 ½ “ cookie scoop. I set the rolled meatballs on a sheet of parchment paper, laid out over a baking pan.

• Fry your meatballs. Into the same skillet you used for the onion, add a little bit of butter and neutral oil—just enough to keep your meatballs from sticking. Heat the oil and butter and start adding your meatballs to the pan. You’ll probably need to do this in batches. Don’t overcrowd the pan or it will be difficult to turn them.

• Sauté the meatballs until they’re golden all around. Use a spatula or tongs, or just roll the pan around—whatever works best for you. Don’t worry about them cooking all the way through. They’ll cook further in the sauce, later.

• When all the meatballs have been fried, it’s time to start the sauce.

For the Sour Cream and Dill Pan Sauce

     Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 2 cups beef broth or stock, or no-beef broth (can use vegetable broth but the flavor won’t be as rich)

• A couple of shakes each of ground ginger and ground nutmeg

• ¼—½ cup full-fat sour cream

• 1 bunch dill, chopped

• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

• lingonberry preserves for serving

Method:

• When the meatballs are all fried, wipe out the skillet with a paper towel. (Make sure the pan has cooled—don’t burn yourself!)

• Heat the butter until it’s melted and add the flour. Cook over low-ish heat, stirring constantly, for about 2–3 minutes, until the flour turns golden. You don’t want the flour to be raw, but we’re also not doing a Cajun gumbo here. Don’t let it get too dark.

• Slowly pour in the stock, stirring all the while, until it’s well incorporated and the sauce has just started to thicken. Stir in the spices and cook, still stirring, for another minute or so.

• Stir in the sour cream and cook for another minute or so until all is well combined.
  Taste for seasoning.

• Add the meatballs back into the pan and gently stir so that all the meatballs are coated with the sauce.

• Add the dill.

• Simmer for about five minutes, stirring occasionally. If the sauce gets too thick, stir in a little more stock or a bit of water.

• Serve with lingonberry preserves on the side. If you don’t have lingonberries, whole berry cranberry sauce can take the roll.

• Norwegian meatballs are most often served with small-ish boiled potatoes that have been peeled either before or after cooking and then dressed with butter and chopped parsley. Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage is also a traditional side for this dish.