I can’t believe week 5 - the final week of my Summer of Sweden series is here already! It has been 3 wonderful weeks in Sweden with my boys (hubby + baby), family, friends, great food and adventure. We had a wonderful time in sleepy and beautiful Arkösund in East Gothland, with its breathtaking views of the Baltic Sea and forests teeming with wild berries and mushrooms (we did quite a bit of mushroom and berry picking); lovely dinners in bustling Norrköping; fulfilled days in picturesque Söderköping; a trip into the past in Medieval Visby, Gotland with its 1000 year old buildings; and marveled at the unusual rock formations 'Rauks' in Fårö, Gotland. For this week's recipe I have selected a quintessential Swedish recipe - Swedish meatballs and potato salad. Thanks for joining me on my wonderful culinary journey around Sweden!
Swedish meatballs served with a sweet sherry gravy and potato salad
Preparation time 30 minutes
Cooking time 55 minutes
Total time: 85 minutes
Ingredients (serves 4)
Potato Salad
1.5lbs/24oz/680g potatoes, washed
Salt to taste
2 eggs
2 green onions or scallions, diced
½ green bell pepper (½ cup), diced
½ cup light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ground
2 tablespoons sour cream
Optional ingredients
1 tablespoon dill, chopped finely
Sweet sherry gravy
¼ cup (4 tablespoons) olive oil
0.44lbs/7oz/200g shallots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon fresh or dried mixed herbs (thyme, sage, rosemary), chopped finely
¼ teaspoon allspice, ground
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon flour
1 ½ cups sweet sherry
Salt to taste
Meat balls
1lb/16oz/454g minced beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ onion (¼ cup), chopped
1 potato, peeled, boiled and mashed
1 egg, beaten
¼ teaspoon allspice, ground
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
4 cups oil for frying
Method
Start by preparing the potato salad, it can be served warm or chilled
Bring salted water to boil in a large saucepan and add the potatoes, boil the potatoes partially covered over high heat until tender but firm (15-20 minutes)
Drain the water, allow to cool, then peel and chop the potatoes into 0.4x0.4inch/1cmx1cm cubes
Boil the eggs in a pan of water over high heat for about 10 minutes, remove eggs and place in a bowl of cold water for 1 minute, then peel and grate coarsely
Combine the potatoes, eggs, green onions, bell pepper, mayonnaise, olive oil, black pepper, nutmeg, sour cream and dill (optional) in a large bowl and mix well before serving
Next prepare the sweet sherry gravy
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and sauté the shallots uncovered for about 3 minutes or until shallots are lightly browned
Add garlic, bay leaf, mixed herbs, allspice and black pepper , then continue cooking uncovered for about 2 minutes
Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, then add the sweet sherry and cook for another 4 minutes
Next prepare the meat balls
Fry the garlic in the olive oil over medium heat for 1 minute then add the onions and fry for another minute, remove from heat
Mix the minced meat, fried garlic and onions, mashed potato, egg, allspice, black pepper and salt together in a bowl
Form the mixture into balls that would fit into your fist
Put the oil for frying in a deep pan over medium heat and allow to get hot (2-3 minutes). Fry the meat balls without crowding them in the pan to avoid sticking together (you may need to fry the meat balls in several batches, each batch should fry for about 5 minutes)
When ready, remove the meat balls from the oil and dry on kitchen paper
Tips: You can use plain yogurt in the potato salad instead of sour cream for a healthier option ; Meatball patties can be made in large quantites and stored in the freezer;
