Swedish Meatballs

& all the fixings for the perfect holiday meal.

This is our Christmas Day dinner every year and it will absolutely be our meal this year - it’s that good. My husband is Swedish and grew up having Swedish meatballs all the time. I on the other hand did not. One experience at Ikea was the extent of my knowledge. I read through recipes in cookbooks, had a few mediocre tries (he said they were good), but the last two years I really nailed it. It’s an easy recipe that has a lot of “make ahead” features to it. A few readers made the meal last year and the reviews were rave. I’ve heard especially the beet salad has been made on repeat. Happy Holidays!

Prepping Ahead

I’ll be bringing this meal on a 2 hour drive Christmas Day. So I need to prep/ make most of it ahead of time. Here’s my plan:

• I’ll make the meatball mix and form the meatballs 2 days ahead of time. They’ll hang out on a lined sheet-pan in the refrigerator. 1 day ahead of time I will fry off the meatballs and make the gravy but keep them separate. When I get to Grandmas’s house on Christmas day I’ll simmer the meatballs in the gravy to warm them through and bring the flavors together.

• I’ll make the whole beet salad ahead. I’ll shred the beets 2-3 days ahead. Then assemble it all 1 days ahead.

• I’ll make the cucumbers 1 day ahead and just wait to add the dill at the last moment.

• I’ll make the potato & cauliflower puree on the morning before. Pour it into a baking dish, put a few pats of butter on top, cover and refrigerate. This I’lll reheat gently in the oven on Christmas day

A note on the Potato & Cauliflower Puree: As it’s written it’s more cauliflower than potato. This is how I like it, I think it’s lighter and it doesn't weigh me down as much. On the contrary, my husband is team “no cauliflower”. If you prefer the inverse ratio feel free to adjust. Lose some of the cauliflower and bump up the potato. The only issue you’ll run into is in this case the blender may not be the best method to whip up your potatoes. You might want to blend the cauliflower with the dairy then find an alternative method for your potatoes. Like a ricer, food mill or potato masher. This way your puree isn’t too gluey.

The recipe below serves 4 or 2 with leftovers (which are wonderful). You can easily double everything.

Swedish Meatballs

Serves about 4

• 2 small slices sourdough or white bread, crusts cut off

• 2 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream

• 1 egg

• 1 small shallot, peeled and minced or grated

• 1 ½ teaspoons salt

• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice

• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

• A good few grinds of freshly ground black pepper

• 1 pound ground pork (this could also be a mix of beef & pork)

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 1 tablespoon neutral oil

Gravy:

• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

• 1 heaping teaspoon dijon mustard

• 2 cups of chicken stock (better the quality, better the gravy)

• 2 tablespoons heavy cream or sour cream

1. Tear or dice the bread into very small pieces and place in a large bowl. Add the milk, egg, shallot, salt, allspice, cardamom, nutmeg and pepper. Gently blend the ingredients together until the bread has soaked up the milk and egg. Add in the ground pork and blend the mixture using your hands until it’s well combined. Either refrigerate this overnight, or use your hands to form meatballs that are a little smaller than a ping pong ball. Transfer them to a plate or tray as you work.

2. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the butter melts, carefully add the meatballs. Cook the meatballs, gently turning them every so often, for about 5-6 minutes until they are lightly golden brown all around. They’ll continue to cook in the gravy. Transfer them to a plate and set aside.

3. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and using a whisk, stir and cook the mixture until it turns a pale golden brown color, about 2 minutes. You’ll have lots of brown bits floating around -that’s ok. Stir in the mustard and cook with the roux (butter & flour) for a minute or so. Pour in the chicken stock and whisk well to combine everything. At this point, I strain my gravy because I don’t like those brown bits and want a smooth look - this is optional. To do so, simply strain the gravy right into a big measuring cup, wipe out the pan with a paper towel and pour the gravy back in. Reduce the heat to medium, season the gravy with salt and stir in the heavy cream. Return your meatballs back to the pan and simmer everything for another 5-8 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through and the gravy is thickened. Taste the gravy for salt.

4. This can sit on the stove for a little while if you need time before serving. When you’re ready, simply turn the heat on and stir the meatballs. If a little skin has formed on the gravy, not to worry, a stir and some heat will take care of it.

Beet & Apple Salad with Horseradish

Serves 4

• 2 large beets

• 1 apple (any kind)

• 3 tablespoons sour cream (creme fraiche is even better)

• 2 tablespoons horseradish

• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds

• 1 teaspoon salt

1. Prep the beets & apples: I like to wear rubber kitchen gloves for this. Peel both the beets and apples. Trim any root ends on the beets, and core the apples. If using the food processor with shredding attachment: Cut everything into wedges that will fit into the feed hole on your food processor. If using a box grater: Leave the beets whole and the apples in big pieces.

2. Shred the beets and apples either using a food processor fitted with the shredding attachment or on the larger holes of a box grater.

3. Meanwhile, combine the sour cream, horseradish, caraway seeds and salt in the bottom of a large bowl. Mix well then dump the shredded beets and apples right on top. Mix until everything is combined. Taste the salad for salt.

4. You can serve this right away but it gets better and better as it sits in the refrigerator. I like to make this the day before.

Creamy Dilled Cucumbers

Serves 4

• 1 english cucumber or 4-5 mini cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons sour cream (or creme fraiche)

• 1 tablespoon white or rice vinegar

• Big pinch of kosher salt

• A few grinds of pepper

• ½ cup dill, roughly chopped

1. Combine all of that together really well and let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Cauliflower & Potato Puree

Serves 4

• 1 small head of cauliflower cut into florets (about 6 cups)

• 1 medium Yukon Gold, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 2 cups)

• 2 garlic cloves, left whole

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1/2 cup sour cream or creme fraiche

• Kosher salt

1. Set a steamer basket in a large pot filled with a few inches of water. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Place the cauliflower, potatoes and garlic cloves inside the basket, cover, and steam for 10 to 15 minutes, until both the cauliflower and potatoes are very soft.

2. Meanwhile, put the butter and sour cream in the bottom of your blender. Place the hot vegetables on top - this will melt the butter. Season with a generous pinch of salt. Blend, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed, until very smooth and creamy. Taste and season with more salt, if needed.

3. You can place this in a baking dish, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. To reheat, warm in a 300° oven.