Next stop of my FOODball journey; Sweden! And Sweden is not only, as many of you think, the home of Ikea and ABBA, but also the home of delicious food. The most popular and the ultimate Swedish dish is Köttbullar. So how can you prepare that? Here you will find the recipe for Köttbullar with blueberry sauce.
I love dishes that have fruits as an ingredient. In this case, we have blueberries. And what is the original recipe for the Swedish meatballs? Well, there is no authentic method of how to make them and what ingredients to use.
Most of the times cucumbers and mashed potatoes are served with the meatballs. I adjusted the recipe a little bit, but at the same time still kept all the important components; salad and potatoes. Also instead of lingonberry sauce, I’ve made the blueberry sauce.
Are you ready for some Swedish food? The answer is: always!
Ingredients for 16 meatballs of Köttbullar with blueberry sauce (for four people):
- 8-10 small potatoes (young potatoes)
- 500 g minced meat (I used pork and beef)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 rosemary stems (1-2 Tbsp of rosemary needle-leaves)
- 1 egg
- 50 ml whipping cream
- 2 Tbsp mustard
- 150 g breadcrumbs
- olive oil
- salt, pepper
- 1 shallot
- a piece of ginger (2cm)
- 250 g blueberries
- 2 Tbsp coconut sugar
- 2-3 Tbsp strawberry vinegar (or any fruity vinegar)
- 1 lime
- 1 tsp honey
- 3 Tbsp sour cream
- 3-4 handfuls mixed salad leaves
Wash the potatoes and put them to cook. Choose young potatoes, so that they have a similar size to the meatballs (4-5 cm). Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until they are done. But try not to overcook them. Becuase you’ll need to put the potatoes on a wooden skewer without having them falling in pieces.
In the meantime, prepare the meat mixture. In a larger bowl, mix the minced meat, finely chopped garlic and rosemary leaves, a whole egg, whipping cream (liquid), some mustard and breadcrumbs. Don’t forget to season well.
Garlic and rosemary will give a great aroma. The egg will work as glue, cream and mustard will add some extra flavour and tenderness and the breadcrumbs will help to absorb the liquids and make the meatballs soft and a little crispy.
Furthermore, using your hands, mix everything well to combine all the ingredients. Then start forming the meatballs. Try to make them 4-5 cm big. Like that the inside will be cooked evenly. Once they are all done and you used all of the meat, put them in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.
Check on the potatoes! If they are cooked, discard the hot water, put them under cold running water for a minute and then let them stay covered with cold water for about 3 minutes. Once you are able to hold them with your hands, peel them and keep them aside. You will use them later.
Prepare the delicious blueberry sauce.
For the sauce, finely chop the shallot and ginger. Drizzle some olive oil in a pan. After it gets warm, add the shallot and ginger. Stir for a minute. Then add the sugar and stir until melted. Put the washed blueberries on top of the caramelised ginger and onion and give it a shake. At the end pour in the fruity vinegar, reduce the heat to low, cover and let it simmer for 7-10 minutes. You might have to stir from time to time.
It is time for the Köttbullar!
To resume everything; potatoes are cooked and peeled, meatballs are in the fridge (now it’s time to take them out) and the blueberry sauce is simmering. Quickly prepare the salad and the dressing. In a small bowl mix the juice of one lime, honey and sour cream. Pour it over the washed salad leaves and gently mix.
The last step is to place the meatballs and potatoes on two wooden skewers. I used two skewers to prevent the meatballs and potatoes to turn around its axis. So, if you do the math, you’ll need 16 skewers. Place two meatballs and one potato in the order you prefer. Remember to spread some olive oil over the meat and potatoes, before placing them in the pan.
Once the pan gets hot, place the Köttbullar in it and grill for 10-12 minutes. Keep the pan covered and don’t forget to turn the skewers around. After the meat and potatoes become a little golden-brown with a crispy crust, you are ready to serve.
Finally, enjoy the delicious Köttbullar with blueberry sauce on a side. This Swedish dish is perfect for supper or lunch on a summer day. The juicy meat with sweet fruity sauce on one side and the refreshing salad on the other sound like a winning snack for this FOODball journey.
Smaklig måltid!
P.S.: Do you like pizza, sausage or a nice salad bowl? Check out these Italian, Russian, Peruvian and German dishes.
