Midweek Meal: Finnish Meatballs

Midweek Meal: Finnish Meatballs

If you are looking for a quick and delicious midweek meal, look no further than simple and versatile meatballs. Swedish meatballs have always been the more popular of the Nordic meatballs and, lets be honest, they are the real reason anyone goes to an IKEA. However, as much as we love Swedish meatballs, it is Finnish meatballs that have a special place in our hearts, and stomachs, here at in the Hipster House.

 

So what makes these meatballs so delicious? Simple, allspice; a warming, well rounded spice that works extremely well with meats. The other aspect to traditional Finnish meatballs is the sauce, which I highly recommend, but by no means does this stop you from using your own favourite sauce. I will indicate where any saucy alterations can be made in the recipe. Easy to make ahead of time and freeze or have fresh, a midweek meal of Finnish meatballs is a guaranteed to be a hit.

Enjoying meatballs at IKEA
Enjoying meatballs last year (prior to Covid-19)

Finnish Meatballs

You will need the following ingredients for the Meatballs:
  • 700g ground beef (we recommend 15-20% fat)

  • 1 white onion

  • 1 egg

  • 3/4 cup of bread crumbs

  • 1/2 cup of whole milk (or cream)

  • 2 tsp salt

  • 1/2 tsp of ground allspice

  • 2 tbsp of butter

And the following ingredients for the Sauce:
  • 2 cups of whole milk (If you want it to be a bit more decadent, use 1/2 cup of cream and 1 1/2 cups of milk)

  • 2 tbsp of flour

And the following equipment:
  • Cutting board

  • Knife

  • Mixing bowl

  • Mixing spoon

  • Large frying pan with lid

  • Baking tray

  • Measuring cups

  • Measuring spoons

  • Tongs or metal spatula

  • Whisk

Ok, now lets get cooking!

  • In the mixing bowl, soak the 3/4 cup of bread crumbs in 1/2 cup of whole milk (or 1/2 cup of cream)

  • Mince the onion

  • Add the minced onion, ground beef, egg, 2 tsp of salt, and 1/2 tsp of allspice to the soaked bread crumbs.

  • Thoroughly combine the ingredients. We recommend doing this by hand.

  • Shape mixture into balls, size can vary based on whether you want mini meatballs or larger meatballs

  • Place the meatballs on the baking tray

  • Once all of the mixture has been formed into balls, place tray into the refrigerator to chill for about 1 hr

  • Heat frying pan and melt butter for cooking

  • Brown meatballs in butter by shaking the pan to roll them around

  • Once all the meatballs have been browned, remove them from the pan and set them aside.

Note: Here is where you can substitute your own sauce or carry on with the traditional sauce.
  • Add the 2 tbsp of flour to the drippings in the pan and whisk to make a roux (if you are making this with meatballs made earlier and stored, use beef drippings or butter) 

  • Slowly add the milk (and cream if you are using it) while whisking until a smooth sauce has formed

  • If you sauce feels too thick, add a small amount of water

  • Return meatballs to pan with sauce

  • Cover the pan and cook for 25 minutes, gently stirring occasionally

Serve and enjoy!

The best accompaniment for these meatballs is lingonberry sauce, or cranberry sauce if you do not have access to lingonberry. We like to have them with wide egg noodles but they also go well with a fluffy mash. Not only do Finnish meatballs make a great midweek meal, they are great for parties. They can keep over night in the fridge prior to cooking so can easily be made the night before and cooked fresh the next day.

Serve Finnish meatballs with traditional sauce

For a twist on this recipe, use Nongender Specific Plaid’s (our favourite Cali-Cardiffian) meatball sauce. Combine equal parts jam, I prefer red current, and French’s mustard with a bit of water for the perfect cocktail meatballs. For this I recommend you use mini meatballs. 

If you have any other favourite sauces, we’d love to hear them.

Finish your meal with the perfect dessert, homemade pecan pie



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