Swedish export, top chef Marcus Samuelsson, credits his grandmother Helga with teaching him how to cook, notably this version of traditional Swedish meatballs.
Helga’s Meatballs by Top Chef Marcus Samuelsson
Chef Marcus Samuelsson's favourite Swedish meatballs recipe by his grandmother Helga.
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup full cream
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion finely chopped
- 500 g ground chuck or sirloin
- 500 g ground veal
- 500 9 ground pork
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- salt & pepper
For the sauce
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup full cream
- 1/4 cup lingonberry jam
- 2 tbsp pickle juice
- salt & pepper
Instructions
For the meatballs
- Combine the breadcrumbs and heavy cream in a small bowl; stir with a fork until all the crumbs are moistened. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, until softened. Remove from the heat.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, veal, pork, onion, honey, and egg, and mix well with your hands. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the breadcrumb-cream mixture and mix well.
- With wet hands (to keep the mixture from sticking), shape the mixture into meatballs the size of golf balls, placing them on a plate lightly moistened with water. You should have about 24 meatballs.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meatballs, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning frequently, for about 7 minutes, until browned on all sides and cooked through. Transfer the meatballs to a plate, and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet.
For the sauce
- Return the meatball skillet to the heat, whisk in the stock, cream, preserves, and pickle juice, and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Return the meatball skillet to the heat, whisk in the stock, cream, preserves, and pickle juice, and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.