Cooking Swedish Meatballs for Hygge Dinner

Cooking Connection: Traditional Swedish Meatballs

LUTSEN, Minn. – Moguls Grille and Tap Room is taking advantage of Scandinavian culture throughout the Northland.

Next week, they’re hosting a Hygge dinner celebrating Scandinavian comfort foods.

This will be a five-course dinner with cocktails and live jazz music.

The dinner is being held on February 8, at 6:00 p.m.

For more information on the event head to caribouhighlands.com/moguls-grille/.

Reservations can be made by calling (218) 663-3020 or emailing Emily at emilyh@caribouhighlands.com.

The restaurant is located at the Caribou Highlands Lodge at 371 Ski Hill Rd., Lutsen, MN 55612.

SWEDISH MEATBALLS

• 2 slices day-old white bread, crumbled
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1/2 pound ground beef (can sub Venison or other ground meat)
• 1/2 pound finely ground pork
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar (optional)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground mace
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or as needed
• 2 cups beef broth, or as needed

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place the breadcrumbs in a small bowl, and mix in the cream. Allow to stand until crumbs absorb the cream, about 10 minutes. While the bread is soaking, melt 1 teaspoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the onion until it turns light brown; about 10 minutes. Place onion into a mixing bowl; mix with the ground beef, ground pork, egg, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, mace, allspice, and ginger. Lightly mix in the bread crumbs and cream.
3. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Pinch off about 1 1/2 tablespoon of the meat mixture per meatball, and form into balls. Place the meatballs in the skillet, and cook just until the outsides are brown, about 5 minutes, turning the meatballs often. Insides of the meatballs will still be pink. Place browned meatballs into a baking dish, pour in chicken broth, and cover with foil.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until the meatballs are tender, about 40 minutes. Remove meatballs to a serving dish.
5. To make brown gravy, pour pan drippings into a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the flour into the pan drippings until smooth, and gradually whisk in enough beef broth to total about 2 1/2 cups of liquid. Bring the gravy to a simmer, whisking constantly until thick, about 5 minutes. Just before serving, whisk in the sour cream. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve the gravy with the meatballs.