Swedish Meatballs with Gravy and Caraway Cranberry Jam

From Chef Michael Peters Honey Baby 

Swedish Meatball Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef

½ medium onion, coarsely grated

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 small knob of ginger, finely grated

½ c. panko breadcrumbs

1 egg

½ c. chopped fresh dill and parsley

1/8 t. ground allspice

1/8 t. garlic powder

1/8 t. white pepper

1/8 t. cayenne pepper

Pinch of powdered clove

Fresh nutmeg, grated 

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cranberry Jam (recipe below)

Gravy (recipe below) 

 

Preheat oven to 375° F. In a food processor or large mixing bowl, combine onion, garlic and ginger and process or mix by hand until well incorporated. 

Add panko crumbs and a splash of Worcestershire sauce. Combine the seasoned crumbs with the garlic, ginger and onion mixture until evenly moistened. Add the remaining ingredients and mix by hand until thoroughly combined. Adjust seasoning as desired. 

Using a scoop, spoons and/or your hands, form the mixture into 1-ounce meatballs by hand. Place meatballs on a lightly greased sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from the sheet pan, cover and set aside to keep warm.  Reserve the sheet tray pan drippings to prepare the gravy. 

For the Gravy

2 c. heavy cream

½ c. beef demi-glace (or 1 c. beef broth)

½ c. sherry or white cooking wine, divided

½ medium onion, coarsely chopped

½ stick butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 T. Dijon mustard

1 sprig fresh rosemary

3 sprigs fresh thyme

4 sprigs fresh dill

Use a splash of the sherry or cooking wine to deglaze the meatball sheet pan. Scrape the beef bits into a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Warm the liquid over low heat, add butter and flour, stirring continuously to make a light roux. Stir in the remaining sherry or cooking wine and demi-glace or beef broth. (Handle carefully as the alcohol from the sherry may ignite. This is typical and will diminish quickly.) 

Continue stirring, adding in remaining ingredients one at a time, cooking until gravy thickens to desired consistency. Add more broth, sherry or wine to thin out, or conversely, add a little floured butter to further thicken.

Carefully place meatballs in the gravy and simmer for a few minutes over low heat. Serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles, with Cranberry Jam as a condiment. 

Cranberry Jam

2 c. cranberries

1 medium fresh orange, halved and squeezed, reserving juice

1 c. water

1 T. real maple syrup

1 cinnamon stick

4 allspice berries

1 t. caraway seeds

3 pods black cardamom

8” square of cheesecloth or a paper coffee filter

Kitchen twine

Place cranberries, water, syrup, zest and orange juice in a medium sauce pot. Using either a square of cheesecloth or a paper coffee filter, place all spices in a small pile in the center, gather the edges and tie off with kitchen twine, creating a spice sachet. Place the sachet into a saucepan and simmer over low heat until cranberries start to burst. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature. Remove sachet and stir jam to incorporate flavors. Serve immediately or store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator up to one week until serving.

Serve mushrooms atop mashed potatoes or egg noodles.