The dish to eat in Stockholm · Sweden

Köttbullar

Name: Köttbullar (Swedish meatballs with cream gravy)
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Sweden
Ingredients: For the meatballs: 1/2 cup (30 g) fresh breadcrumbs or panko, 1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk, 1 small onion very finely grated, 1 tbsp butter, 1 lb (450 g) ground beef, 8 oz (225 g) ground pork, 1 egg, 1 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp white pepper, 1/4 tsp ground allspice; 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil, for frying; For the gravy: 2 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp flour, 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) beef stock, 2/3 cup (160 ml) heavy cream, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp lingonberry jam, salt and pepper; For the mash: 2 lb (900 g) floury potatoes, 4 tbsp (60 g) butter, 3/4 cup (180 ml) warm milk, salt; For the pressgurka: 1 cucumber very thinly sliced, 1/4 cup (60 ml) white vinegar, 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar, 1/2 cup (120 ml) water, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp chopped parsley; Lingonberry jam (lingonsylt), to serve

Photo: Andy Li, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons · source

Swedish meatballs in cream gravy, with mashed potatoes, lingonberries and quick-pickled cucumber.

Every Stockholm grandmother has her own köttbullar. In the city's old beer halls they come in a big portion with buttery mashed potatoes, sharp lingonberries and pressgurka, and they are nothing like the flat-pack version.

Where to eat it Cook it at home

Where to eat it: the best three in Stockholm

Pelikan
Blekingegatan, Södermalm
Order: Köttbullar with mash, lingonberries and pressgurka, and a beer
A grand old beer hall on Södermalm, the classic place for Swedish home cooking.
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Meatballs for the People
Nytorgsgatan, Södermalm
Order: The classic beef and pork köttbullar, then try the elk or wild boar
A meatball shop that makes a dozen kinds from Swedish farms and game.
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Tranan
Karlbergsvägen, Vasastan
Order: Köttbullar with cream sauce and lingonberries
A Vasastan bistro from 1929 known for traditional Swedish plates done carefully.
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All three are on Chef Amazing’s list The best köttbullar in Stockholm, which you can save and take with you.

Cook it at home: Köttbullar (Swedish meatballs with cream gravy)

Serves 4Time 1 hr 15 min

Small, tender meatballs made with a soaked breadcrumb panade and grated onion, browned in butter, then sauced with a cream gravy made in the same pan. Served the Swedish way, with all four sides.

Pans and tools

Large skillet
Pot and masher
Box grater
Whisk

You’ll need

For the meatballs: 1/2 cup (30 g) fresh breadcrumbs or panko, 1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk, 1 small onion very finely grated, 1 tbsp butter, 1 lb (450 g) ground beef, 8 oz (225 g) ground pork, 1 egg, 1 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp white pepper, 1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil, for frying
For the gravy: 2 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp flour, 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) beef stock, 2/3 cup (160 ml) heavy cream, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp lingonberry jam, salt and pepper
For the mash: 2 lb (900 g) floury potatoes, 4 tbsp (60 g) butter, 3/4 cup (180 ml) warm milk, salt
For the pressgurka: 1 cucumber very thinly sliced, 1/4 cup (60 ml) white vinegar, 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar, 1/2 cup (120 ml) water, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp chopped parsley
Lingonberry jam (lingonsylt), to serve

Steps

Pressgurka: stir the vinegar, sugar, water and salt until dissolved, pour over the cucumber with the parsley and chill at least 30 minutes.
Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk 10 minutes. Cook the grated onion in 1 tbsp butter over low heat 5 minutes until soft, and cool.
Mix the beef, pork, soaked crumbs, onion, egg, salt, pepper and allspice with your hands until smooth and sticky, about 2 minutes. Fry a tiny piece to taste for salt.
With wet hands, roll into balls about 1 inch (2.5 cm) across; you should get about 40. Chill 15 minutes.
Boil the potatoes in salted water until very tender, drain, mash with the butter and warm milk, and season.
Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium. Fry the meatballs in batches, shaking the pan, 7 to 8 minutes until browned all over and cooked through. Set aside.
Gravy: pour off all but 2 tbsp fat, add the butter, then whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the stock, scraping up the browned bits, and simmer 3 minutes. Add the cream, soy, mustard and lingonberry jam and simmer until it coats a spoon. Season.
Return the meatballs to the gravy for 2 minutes. Serve with the mash, a spoonful of lingonberry jam and the pressgurka.

Chef’s tips

Grate the onion, don't chop it: it melts into the meat and keeps the balls smooth.

Shake the pan rather than turning each meatball, so they stay round.

The soy sauce is a Swedish home cook's trick for color and depth.

Contains: Wheat (gluten), egg, milk, soy, mustard.

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