Swedish Meatballs (from Eat2Gather)

(makes enough for 2 meals)

1 large onion, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 pounds ground chuck

2 pounds lean ground beef

8 slices bread (or 3 large dinner rolls)

1 1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

3 teaspoons pepper

3 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg

1 teaspoon paprika

1 stick butter

2/3 cup flour

64 ounces beef stock

1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large skillet, cook onion in olive oil for about 10 minutes, or until onion is golden brown.  Meanwhile, in a large bowl, soak bread in the milk, allowing the bread to soak up the liquid.  Use a fork to break up the bread until it resembles a paste.

In the same bowl, combine the ground beef, spices, and onions with the bread mixture.  Use your hands until all the ingredients are incorporated.  (I know, ick.  Take your rings off, and wash your hands when you’re finished.  It will be ok.)

Form meat into 1 1/2 inch balls using a small ice cream scoop.  Place meatballs on cookie sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 3o minutes, turning once, until meatballs are browned and cooked through.

While the meatballs are baking, prepare the sauce.  Melt the butter in a large skillet with 2/3 cup flour.   I used the same skillet from the onions…no need to dirty extra dishes!

Whisk the butter and flour until it is golden in color.  That’s called a roux (roo), by the way. Then, gradually whisk in the beef stock, stirring continuously until it’s smooth.

Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat, then cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Remove sauce from the heat and add the sour cream.  Stir well.  Add the meatballs directly into the sauce, and serve with egg noodles.