It's been ages since I cooked something and posted it too, but I've been meaning to do it. There's a huge difference between meaning to and actually do it. For the past few months I've been bookmarking the recipes Google and Chrome has been throwing at me, with the intention of trying them out one day, but that one day has never come, till today.
Today I made time to cook Swedish meatballs and mash, a nice and inviting recipe published by The Irish Times, here. The reason I liked this recipe is because it's close to what I like in taste, it's easy to make and doesn't need much time or effort. Obviously I didn't follow the recipe to the letter, but that's not something unusual. There are no major deviations from the original idea though. So, let's see what I was up to today.
Ingredients for the meatballs:
- 1kg minced meat (I used 500g pork and 500g beef, but you can use any combination of meat you like),
- 1 large onion, chopped,
- 4 cloves of garlic, chopped,
- 1 egg,
- 3 tbsp of semolina,
- 1 tbsp red paprika powder (make sure it's good quality and not brick powder),
- 1 tsp salt,
- 1 tsp pepper.
The original recipe says breadcrumbs, but I always use semolina because it makes the meatballs more softer. The other thing that I did differently is that I added red paprika powder to it, which adds a nice extra flavor and left out the dill. I'm not a huge fan of dill and because the sauce already has dill, adding it to the meat would have been to much for me.
Instead of chopping the onion and garlic by hand, I used my blender and was satisfied with the result.
I added all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and mixed it well.
After mixing the meat and the spices well, I made 24 meatballs and placed them in a ceramic baking tray.
The recipe says to preheat the oven to 180°C and bake for 20 minutes, but, but my meatballs were a bit big and baked them for 30 minutes. Baking time is tied to results anyway, so adjust yours as you wish.
And here it is, the meatballs after 30 minutes. I was really satisfied with the result. The reason I chose this recipe was because baking the meatballs in the oven is much more healthier that frying them in hot oil. However, what I gained with this is cancelled with the sauce and you'll see why.
Ingredients for the sauce:
- 100g butter,
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour,
- 500g beef stock,
- 250g cream,
- 1/2 tsp salt,
- 1/2 tsp pepper,
- chopped dill.
Lucky me, what you see on the photo is real beef stock as I had beef soup and used the beef stock for the sauce. It's way tastier than to use some Knorr cubes or powder as this is made of real meat and veggies.
The method of making the sauce is pretty simple, but mine did not turn out as it should and I tell you why in a bit.
First I melted the butter in a pan, then added the flour and stirring constantly, cooked for about five minutes. Then added the beef stock, salt and pepper and cooked for a few minutes. Then added the cream. So what was the problem? I used sour cream, because I didn't want my sauce to be sweet, I wanted a sour sauce and the consistency of sour cream is different.
Ingredients for the mash:
- 1 kg potatoes,
- salt,
- 100 ml milk,
- 50g butter.
After washing and peeling the potatoes, I chopped them into cubes and cooked in salty water till tender. After draining the potatoes, I added milk and butter and mashed it.
At the end I sprinkled it with dill, instead of adding dill to the sauce and turns out it was the right decision.
The sauce does not look good, but tastes very good and as my goal was to cook something delicious, I don't really care 😜
Compared to the original recipe, my sour cream was of 20%, while the cream recommended has usually 32% fat, which is considerably higher that I want it to. Not to mention the taste.
I like the idea of baking meatballs, the result is amazing and I think I'm going to use it from now on as it's super simple and healthy as well, if you don't ruin everything with a heavy sauce.
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Hi Erikah, Happy New Year, lots of good things!!!
What a delicious recipe to start 2024. Simple and nutritious. I will try to make it using a semolina and a non-wheat flour because of my celiac disease, the other ingredients are fit for my consumption, thanks for sharing. Hugs.
Thank you @mdrguez, Happy New Year to you too and all the best in the new year!
I think you can adapt the recipe to fit your diet, substitute what you can't eat, with healthier ingredients. Hugs to you too :)
Valió la pena esperar este 2024, para preparar una exquisita receta, además de ser muy completa, se combinan muchos grupos alimenticios, lo que es genial y nutritiva.
Excelente paso a paso, me encantó que le diste tu toque personal, esa es la idea de cada cocinero, que deje su propia huella en cada preparación, espero que la hayas degustado mucho, saludos
I always give it a personal touch as all the cooking content is about my experience. I'm glad you liked it. More to come soon :)
That's what it's all about, each chef giving their touch of magic to each dish. I will be aware of your next projects
Looks yummy. Swedish meatballs are a favorite around our house but not as much from scratch. Mashed potatoes always get made for holiday meals/special meals
So tell me, are you buying the meatballs? Frozen? Or how do you make them, if not from scratch?
Frozen meatballs but we make our own sauce. It was a favorite when kids were growing up because it was easy and the kids liked it.
It's midnight and my dinner has finished yet I am hungry and credit goes to you 😀. That dish looks super delicious. Juicy meatballs... Yum 😋
Lol, I'm sorry for making me hungry and I'm also sorry I can't send you a serving. I definitely would, if I could 😃
To tell you the truth, your meatballs have whetted my appetite, they look spectacular, how did they taste? But for me, just by looking at how pretty they are and how you organized the dish, I know they were spectacular. Congratulations, appetizing post.
They tastes as good as they look. I love the recipe and will make it again soon. Thank you for the nice comment @mamani and have a nice evening :)
Your dish looks delicious. I like the idea of using the sour cream instead of the heavy cream for the same reason...it is simply too sweet for some recipes. All in all, a very fine dinner!
I am trying to avoid the heavy cream as much possible for the mentioned reasons and trust me, this sauce was very good, even if it does not look so good. It is a fine dinner indeed, for every occasion in my opinion.
I've been a fan of meatballs, but the idea of baking them rather than frying is exciting. I'm definitely going to try that recipe...
It's a healthier option for sure. Good luck if you try it out. You won't regret it.
I had it at IKEA last week and loved it, so it's good to see the recipe here. I also like the presentation, it's very appetizing.👩🍳
Thank you @norwaylife. I've never had it in a restaurant, but looking forward to it in the future as it's good :)
Ooh that looks very nice! I have Swedish friend that made them for me a long time ago. But it was good! My Swedish isn't great, but I started learning Norwegian recently. So... Maten ser bra ut og jeg er veldig sulten. Nyt måltidet!
Thank you @michelmake. I had to translate your message 😀
I wish I could send you some :P
It looks really nice and I would like to know how you mashed the potatoes.
I tried some ,weeks ago and I struggled mashing it.
I'm using an electronic muxer. Without that, it's a bit difficult.
Alright,thank you.
My pleasure.
Try to using a spoon. I haven't "mashed" potatoes in years. I mix and whip them. I didn't have a potatoes masher when I was in college. I realized a mixing spoon did an A+++ job and I never went back😀
Oh that’s great, thank you.
You can also use a tool like this, this is not electronic. This piece however was crazy expensive as it's the best brand.
Oh Alright.
Thanks
My o my, that is really so 😋. I would like to taste this today.
Thank you! I wish I could send you some :)
You are Welcome. I tried your recipe today, but not exactly as it turned out. You prefer a sour taste; I hope I didn't spoil what you have posted. The taste is awesome, especially the creamy sauce; it melts in the mouth. The sensation of the food is so amazing.
I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean here. Can you explain it please?
"First I melted the butter in a pan, then added the flour and stirring constantly, cooked for about five minutes. Then added the beef stock, salt and pepper and cooked for a few minutes. Then added the cream. So what was the problem? I used sour cream, because I didn't want my sauce to be sweet, I wanted a sour sauce and the consistency of sour cream is different.
I might be wrong too.. I just take literally from this passage.
Lol, now you lost me 😁
Never mind!
May I ask if the downvote is because of my statement?
I don't think I've ever seen pickles on mased potatoes before. I like pickles, I like potatoes... so what not?!?!
It doesn't matter where you put them, in my opinion.
!WOC
looks tempting, will definitely try and will let you about it
Looking forward to it :) And good luck!
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Thank you!
Waoh. A very unique dish. The meatballs came out really so good. I have indeed learnt some good recipe today. Thanks for sharing. Happy first Sunday 2024 🎆🎉.
Thank you! I hope you can try it out some day :)
Wishing you a nice week.
Thank you too for sharing those delicious dishes.
Hello @erikah. It seemed so tasty, congrata 👍
Thank you @devyleona!
You're welcome @erikah
I had to stop by @erikah, meatballs and mash are one of my all-time favourite comfort foods, but I've only ever fried them, much healthier and less splattering, so I'll be trying that method next time.
Nothing wrong with being indulgent now and then though, the sauce sounds so good. Sour cream is much better when it comes to savoury dishes.
You gave me a good chuckle with this:
Have a great week further.
The fried version is what I know as well, but I don't fry meatballs anymore for health reasons, so this is a good alternative I think. Easy to make and healthy as well.
Thanks for the nice comment my friend and you too have a great week.
Why all this hate,, we've walked through 2023 with hate and you are still continuing this,, keep up and you'll surely end well..why can't you leave me alone for Christ's sake...
Just for what...at least let me know my mistakes so I can stop..some people
Look up to us and you're not just discouraging me but them also