Recipe: Swedish Meatballs

I received a recipe for Swedish meatballs last year and made them earlier this year. It's a great party appetizer in the summer because they taste great at room temperature.

Swedish Meatballs

1 pound total ground pork and beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs - [the recipe calls for brown bread, but I didn't have any and used toasted and crumbled whole wheat bread, mixed with a teaspoon of honey]
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon pepper, white pepper preferred but it doesn't kill the recipe to use black
1/3 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon grated onion, juices and all
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying

In a small bowl or measuring cup, pour the milk over 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs and let stand for 10 minutes. If the crumbs are completely liquified after 10 minutes, add more crumbs and let stand again until you get a soft but soupy concoction.

Mix the minced meat with salt, spices, and onion. Add the milk and crumbs, and work with your hands until the mixture is rather smooth.

Crack in the egg, and continue to work the meat with your hands.

Slick your hands with cold water to keep the meat from sticking to them too much, and then form about 48 small balls, smaller than a golf ball, and set aside. I like to make about a dozen to start, then wash my hands and start frying. While the first batch fries, I continue to form more balls.

Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Fry the first group of meatballs, turning them only when they are brown and beginning to crisp on one side. Lower the heat if they brown too quickly, but maintain a temperature that will allow them to crisp on the edges rather than absorb the oil. Repeat until all meatballs are cooked.

Serve with toothpicks warm or at room temperature. You can serve these with a sauce on the side, too, such as honey cream sauce (that's what the Swedish person who gave me this recipe suggested) or pain yogurt mixed with fresh dill and salt to taste.