Swedish Meatballs, yummy!

There isn't much to say about these Swedish meatballs, other than delicious! While hand forming tiny meatballs takes a bit of time, they are SO good. They are lower in fat than meatballs fried in a skillet, because they are baked in the oven, but still get the crispy exterior that everyone loves! Trust me, these are better than Ikea's! *No horse meat jokes* I do want to recommend that  you mix all the ingredients before you add the ground beef. Because the beef is so lean, you'll want to mix the ingredients until they are just combined. Otherwise, the meatballs will become a bit tough and chewy, not fluffy little pillows!

Swedish Meatballs

Yields: 8 servings

2 lbs. lean ground beef

3 c. panko

1½ c. skim milk, divided

2 eggs

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ tsp. ground allspice

3 tbsp. butter, unsalted

⅓ c. flour

3 c. beef stock

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 475 F. In a large bowl, combine ½ c. milk, eggs, garlic, salt, pepper, and allspice.

           

  Since the meat has not been added, feel free to mix this to your heart's content. Once well blended, add the panko and beef and combine only until blended. 

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and using a 1-inch cookie scoop, form the mixture into meatballs. 

(I got 48.) You may need two baking sheets, and bake until brown and crispy. This should take approximately 10 minutes, and rotate the sheets if using two.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat.

 Add the flour, continuously whisking, to cook out the raw taste. Gradually whisk in the remaining milk and beef broth, bring to a boil.

 Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, add the meatballs to a bowl with the sauce, toss to combine. Serve over egg noodles and enjoy! 

Beef Tips.

     Beef tips served over rice is one of my boyfriend's favorite meals. I happen to think the dish is pretty tasty as well. It's beefy, hearty, and loaded with flavor! I had made a dish similar to this one before, but it was baked in the oven, which I thought was strange. The meat was a little more tough with a lot less flavor. Delicious, nonetheless, just lacking something. This recipe is amazing and I can not wait to have it again! (: We'll just give it a few weeks so I can experiment elsewhere! 

Beef Tips

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

1½ to 2 lbs. stew beef, 1-inch cubes

4 oz. button mushrooms, thinly sliced (optional)

2 c. water

¼ c. soy sauce

¼ c. worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. salt

1 (.75 oz.) packet dry brown gravy mix

1 c. water

Depending on your butcher, you may not have to do this step...I did, however. My stew beef was cut VERY roughly and very large - about 3-inch chunks. I prefer much smaller pieces, due to ease. I cut my meat into approximately 1-inch cubes.

In a large skillet, heat oil over high heat. Sauté the onion until almost translucent. 

    

Once onion has become slightly translucent, add the stew beef and brown on all sides on high heat. For me, this took about 3-4 minutes. At this point, I added about 4 ounces of sliced button mushrooms. I browned them for about 2 minutes. Then, pour 2 cups of water, soy sauce and worcestershire sauce in. Allow to return to a simmer. Once simmering, stir in garlic 

powder, salt, and pepper.

 

Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and let it simmer for approximately 2 hours. During this time, the meat will tenderize and literally begin to fall apart! (: It's delicious! About 5 minutes before the simmering time has completed, whisk together the dry gravy mix and 1 cup water thoroughly. Pour into the skillet and return to the boil. The sauce will thicken slightly. 

If you want the sauce to have a little less movement, you can do one of two things: 1) create a corn starch slurry with 1 tbsp. corn starch and 1-2 tbsp. water or 2) gently simmer and let it reduce down a little. I simply left mine to simmer while I cooked the rice I was serving it with and it worked just fine!

Happy Cooking!