Swedish Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes, Cream Sauce, Pickled Cucumber and Lingonberries (Köttbullar med potatismos, gräddsås, gurka och lingon)
This is classic Swedish husmanskost at its very best: homemade meatballs served with creamy mashed potatoes, rich cream sauce, quick-pickled cucumber and sweet-tart lingonberries.
And if you happen to have leftover meatballs, they are also delicious cold on an open-faced sandwich the next day.
Ingredients
Swedish Meatballs
- 500 g (1.1 lb) ground beef
- 150 ml (⅔ cup) water
- 75 ml (⅓ cup) breadcrumbs
- ½ yellow onion
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp concentrated veal stock
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 pinches freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp butter, for frying
Mashed Potatoes
- 1 kg (2.2 lb) floury potatoes
- 2 tbsp butter
- 250 ml (1 cup) milk
- 1½ tsp salt
Cream Sauce
- 200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) water
- 100 ml (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) heavy cream
- 2 tbsp concentrated veal stock
- 1 tsp Chinese-style dark soy sauce
- 2 pinches granulated sugar
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
Quick-Pickled Cucumber
- ½ cucumber
- 1 tbsp 12% vinegar
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Stirred Lingonberries
- 150 ml (⅔ cup) frozen lingonberries
- 50 ml (3 tbsp + 1 tsp) granulated sugar
For Garnish
- Chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
1. Make the Pickled Cucumber
Combine the vinegar, sugar, water and pepper in a bowl.
Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Slice the cucumber very thinly, using a vegetable peeler, mandoline or cheese slicer if desired.
Add the cucumber to the pickling liquid and refrigerate for approximately 1 hour.
Stir in the chopped parsley just before serving.
2. Prepare the Lingonberries
Combine the frozen lingonberries and sugar in a bowl.
Leave at room temperature for approximately 1 hour, stirring occasionally as the berries thaw and release their juices.
3. Make the Cream Sauce
Combine the water, cream, veal stock and soy sauce in a saucepan.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 5 minutes.
Season with sugar and black pepper.
Mix the cornstarch with a small amount of cold water until smooth.
Whisk it into the sauce and bring back to a gentle boil until thickened.
Keep warm.
4. Make the Meatball Mixture
Combine the water and breadcrumbs in a bowl and leave to stand for approximately 5 minutes.
Peel and finely grate the onion.
Add the ground beef, grated onion, egg and concentrated veal stock to the breadcrumb mixture.
Season with salt and pepper and mix until well combined.
Shape into generously sized meatballs.
5. Fry the Meatballs
Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat.
Fry the meatballs on all sides for approximately 8–10 minutes, until nicely browned and cooked through.
6. Make the Mashed Potatoes
Peel the potatoes and cut them into smaller pieces.
Cook in lightly salted water until completely tender.
Drain well and allow the potatoes to steam dry for a minute or two.
Mash together with the butter.
Bring the milk to a boil, then gradually pour it into the potatoes while beating until light and fluffy.
Season with salt.
7. Serve
Serve the meatballs with mashed potatoes, warm cream sauce, pickled cucumber and stirred lingonberries.
Garnish with chopped parsley.
Notes
For a vegetarian version, replace the ground beef with thawed formable vegetarian mince and use concentrated vegetable stock instead of veal stock.
Leftover meatballs are excellent served cold on bread or open-faced sandwiches.
The combination of rich cream sauce, tart cucumber and sweet lingonberries is a classic Swedish balance of flavours.
Recipe and image source: Alltommat.se
