Sma Kottbullar
Small Swedish Meat-balls
Reproduced without permission from Time-Life Books "The Cooking of Scandinavia"
To serve 6 to 8 (about 50 meat-balls)
Ingredients:
- ½ ounce butter
- 4 tablespoons finely chopped onion
- 1 large potato, mashed (1 cup)
- 3 tablespoons fine dried bread-crumbs
- 1 pound lean minced beef
- 3 ounces double cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
- 1 ounce butter
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon flour
- ½ cup single or double cream
In a small frying pan, melt the ½ ounce of butter over a moderate heat. When the foam subsides, add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, until they are soft and translucent but not brown.
In a large bowl, combine the onions, mashed potato, bread-crumbs, meat, cream, salt, egg and optional parsley. Knead vigorously with both hands or beat with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are well blended and the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Shape into small balls about 1 inch in diameter. Arrange the meat-balls in one layer on a baking sheet or a flat tray, cover them with plastic wrapping and chill for at least 1 hour before cooking.
Over a high heat, melt the 1 ounce of butter and 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet. When the foam subsides, add meat-balls, 8 to 10 at a time. Reduce the heat to moderate and fry the balls on all sides, shaking the pan almost
If the meat-balls are to be served as a main course with noodles or potatoes, you may want to make a sauce with the pan juice. Remove from the heat, pour off all the fat from the pan, and stir in 1 tablespoon of flour. Quickly stir in ½ cup of single or double cream and boil the sauce over a moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it is thick and smooth. Pour over the meat-balls and serve.
If the meat-balls are to be served as an hors d'oeuvre or as part of a smorgasbord, they should be cooked as above, but formed into smaller balls and served without the sauce.