Recipe: Grandma’s meatballs
These meatballs work perfectly with a couple of cooked, peeled potatoes and a lot of pickles
It is wonderful to experience memories through food, says Mathias Pilblad, and it is also wonderful to pass them on, which is why this recipe is so special to me. These meatballs – exactly like the ones my grandmother used to make – have a rougher structure than most of those I make and serve today. I hope you agree they are particularly nice. A couple of cooked, peeled potatoes are always a welcome accompaniment if you’re hungry.
Ingredients: makes about 42 balls
- 500g beef mince
- 500g pork mince
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp sea salt
- freshly ground white pepper
- 50g boiled and peeled floury potato, mashed and left to cool completely
- 100ml whipping cream
- 100g onion, chopped
- butter, for frying
- to serve: lingonberry sauce
- various pickles
Method
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
- Beat both minces with the egg, allspice, ginger, salt, white pepper to taste and the potato in a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon until firmer. Add the cream and give the mixture a couple of quick stirs; it should have a soft consistency. Finally, stir in the onion and continue beating until the mixture is smooth, firm and well combined. Shape the mixture into about 42 meatballs, 30g each and the size of a table tennis ball; there will be a few onion pieces sticking out.
- Melt enough butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat to come about one-third of the way up the meatballs. Add as many meatballs as will fit, without overcrowding, and fry, turning frequently, for about ten minutes until brown on the outside and cooked through when you cut one open. It is important that the heat in the pan does not get too hot, or the small onion pieces will break off and burn. A couple of the meatballs might even break up a bit, but that is okay. Pan-fry in batches, if necessary. As each batch is fried use a slotted spoon to transfer the meatballs to an ovenproof serving dish and keep hot.
- I like to serve these meatballs with the butter they are cooked in with any onion pieces that have fallen off in the frying pan. I always think these are best eaten with a lot of pickles – and I mean a lot of them.
Taken from Meatballs for the People by Mathias Pilblad, published by Bloomsbury Absolute at £20. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £15.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Shardlake: a 'tightly plotted, gorgeously atmospheric piece of television'
The Week Recommends Arthur Hughes captivates in this 'eminently watchable' Tudor murder mystery
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Major League Baseball is facing an epidemic of pitcher's injuries
Under the Radar Many insiders are blaming the pitch clock for the rise in injuries — but the league is not so sure
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
8 movie musicals that prove the screen can share the stage
The Week Recommends The singing and dancing, bigger than life itself
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Daniel Wallace's 5 favorite books that should not be forgotten
Feature The author recommends works by Italo Calvino, Evan S. Connell, and more
By The Week US Published
-
6 picturesque homes in Arizona
Feature Featuring a glass elevator in Sedona and a grotto waterfall in Paradise Valley
By The Week Staff Published
-
Baffin Island: looking for narwhal in Arctic Canada
The Week Recommends An exploration of this island between mainland Canada and Greenland is ideal for the adventurous at heart
By The Week UK Published
-
Knife: Salman Rushdie's 'mesmeric memoir' of brutal attack
The Week Recommends The author's account of ordeal which cost him his eye is both 'scary and heartwarming'
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sarah Langan recommends 6 women-centric horror books
Feature The horror novelist recommends works by Stephen King, Gillian Flynn, and more
By The Week US Published
-
6 spacious homes for car lovers
Feature Featuring a 14-car showroom in Oregon and a Bentley-style apartment in Florida
By The Week Staff Published
-
6 serene homes in Vermont
Features Featuring a four-level Shaker barn in Hartland and a Scandinavian-inspired home in Stowe
By The Week US Published
-
Amanda Montell's 6 favorite books that will expand your knowledge
Feature The linguist recommends works by Mary Roach, Alice Carrière, and more
By The Week US Published