Classic Swedish Meatballs with Homemade Mushroom Gravy

Swedish meatballs can be great at parties as an appetizer or over noodles as a main dish. As an appetizer, plan at least two meatballs per person.

Swedish Meatballs (prep time: 3 hours using a slow cooker. Serves 4-6 as a main dish, 12 or more as appetizer, depending on size of the meat balls )

1 lb. lean ground beef

½ small onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, finely diced (or grated with a microplain)

1 slice bread, crust removed and diced

¼ C. milk

1 large egg

Salt, pepper

2 Tb. olive oil

1 Tb. unsalted butter

3 Tb. flour

3 C. beef broth

(additional bread crumbs if the meat mixture is too moist)

1 C wild mushrooms

½ C sour cream

1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce (or more if desired)

(egg noodles optional)

Soak the bread cubes in the milk. Once most liquid is absorbed, push the bread to the side of the bowl and beat egg in the bowl.  Mix egg in with the bread.  Add beef, onion, garlic, salt and pepper and mix well.  If the meat mixture seems too wet, mix in some unseasoned bread crumbs. Roll the meat into desired sized balls (l like slightly smaller than a golf ball).  Heat the oil in a large saute pan.  Brown the meatballs on all sides over medium-high heat, being careful not to crowd them.  Don’t cook the meatballs all the way through. They will finish in the slow cooker.  Transfer the meatballs to the slow cooker. Add butter to the existing oil in the saute pan and melt. Stir in the flour to make a roux.  Add mushrooms and cook the roux until it is golden.  Stir in the stock and simmer until it starts to thicken.  Stir in the salt, pepper and Worcestershire Sauce.  Pour the sauce into the slow cooker, just coming to the top of the meatballs.  Add more stock if needed.  Cook on high 2 hours.  At the end, stir in the sour cream. Taste sauce to adjust seasoning if needed. If serving the meatballs as a main dish instead of an appetizer, cook the egg noodles and spoon meatballs and sauce over the noodles.  Garnish with parsley flakes.

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