Michelin Swedish Meatballs

Welcome back to Like a Chef; lifting the lid on restaurant cooking for you at home.

This week, we recreated one of the most classic comfort meals: Swedish meatballs. IKEA lovers, this one’s for you.

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Jack & Will

One of the most beloved dishes in the world is served not at a fine dining establishment, but in the canteen of a home and furniture shop. Yes, we’re talking about IKEA meatballs. Possibly an unlikely source, but IKEA sells around 150 million portions of meatballs a year, making them an undeniable cult classic. People go to IKEA purely to eat the meatballs, with no intention of bringing home a new lamp.

We recreated them; with the same comfort, the same familiar flavours, but supercharged with Michelin refinement, inspired by Aquavit. The 2 Michelin Star Scandinavian restaurant in New York focuses on traditional Swedish cuisine, serving these bad boys with the creamiest mash you could ever imagine, alongside pickled cucumbers, lingonberry sauce and covered in a decadent pan sauce. Not to toot our horn, but we’re pretty chuffed with how they came out.

Ingredients:

For the Meatballs

• 450g minced short rib beef

• 450g minced pork belly

• 55g panko breadcrumbs

• 1 egg

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 55g double cream

• 25g milk

• 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon allspice

• 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper, to taste

• Salt to taste

• 100g butter

For the sauce

• A few sprigs of thyme

• 5g black peppercorns

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 sprig rosemary

• 1 shallot

• 2 garlic cloves

• 500ml double cream

• 1kg reduced beef stock

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

For the Pomme puree

• 500g Agria potatoes (cooked weight from 1.4kg raw potatoes)

• 250ml Cream

• 400ml Milk

• 150g Salted Butter

For the Cranberry sauce

• 300g frozen cranberries

• 75g caster sugar

• Lemon juice to taste

• A pinch of salt

For the Pickles

• 1 cucumber

• 600ml white wine vinegar

• 300ml water

• 150g sugar

• A few sprigs of dill

• 1 tbsp mustard seeds

Method:

1. Start by putting a mixing bowl in the freezer for 30 minutes

2. Add the pork and beef mince, oil, allspice, pepper, mustard, milk, cream, dijon and salt to the bowl and mix well

3. Once combined, and with a clean hand, start to massage the mix well until it looks homogeneous

4. Line a tray with baking parchment and weigh out 45g of the meatball mix.

5. Compress and roll it into a ball and place on the line tray

6. Repeat with the rest of the mix

7. Place in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to allow the shape of the meatballs to set

For the Sauce

1. Pour the milk into a saucepan and add the aromatics

2. Bring the milk to the boil on a medium heat, swirling regularly to avoid it catching on the bottom of the pan

3. Once boiling, immediately remove from the heat and set aside for 30 minutes to allow the milk to infuse

For the Pomme Purée

1. Sprinkle salt over a small tray so you have an even layer

2. Prick the potatoes all over and arrange on top of the salt

3. Bake at 180C fan for 1 hour or until a cutlery knife passes easily through the centre

For the Pickles

1. Slice the cucumber into 2mm rounds and transfer to a jar or tub

2. Add all the pickling ingredients except for the dill to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer while whisking to ensure the sugar and salt have dissolved

3. Remove from the heat ad immediately pour the liquid over the cucumber so all the pieces are submerged.

4. Add the freshly picked fresh dill and stir through

5. Allow to cool and transfer to the fridge

To finish the Pomme Purée

1. Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes

2. Slice each potato in half, scoop out the insides and pass through a potato ricer or through a sieve while still warm

3. Spread the skins out on a tray and bake at 180 °C for 40 minutes until they start to crisp up

4. Place the potato skins in a saucepan and pour in the milk and cream

5. Bring to a simmer on a medium heat and allow to reduce for 10 minutes

6. Strain the potato skins off the milk and cream, discarding the skins

7. In a separate saucepan, melt the butter on a medium heat

8. Add the passed potato and beat thoroughly until emulsified

9. Turn the heat down to low and start to pour the milk & cream into the pan of potato and butter, around 50ml at a time, mixing thoroughly with each addition

10. Continue until all the infused milk and cream has been incorporated and you have a silky pomme puree

11. Season with salt and pepper to taste

12. Close cover with cling film and set aside for later

To Cook the Meatballs

1. Heat a wide frying or sauté pan on a medium-high heat and add a good splash of olive oil

2. Remove the meatballs from the fridge and carefully place them around the pan

3. Turn every 20 seconds or so, so that the meatballs are golden all over

4. Turn the heat down to medium and add the butter to the pan

5. Once melted and beginning to foam, start to baste the meatballs with the butter.

6. Add a few sprigs of fresh thyme to the butter and continue to baste until the centre of each one reads 65C

7. Transfer the meatballs to a tray and set aside in a warm place

To finish the sauce

1. Peel and finally dice the shallot and mince the garlic

2. Add both to the pan and sauté in the foaming butter for 5 minutes until they start to softenx

3. Add the cream and aromats to the pan along with the stock

4. Allow to come to a simmer and reduce for 20 minutes until the sauce has a light coating consistency

5. When the sauce has nearly reduced, mix the Dijon and a small amount of sauce in a ramekin and mix well to create a slurry

6. Pour this into the saucepan and stir well to fully combine

7. Season with salt and black pepper

For the Cranberry Sauce

1. Put the cranberries, sugar and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan and start to mix on a medium heat, using your whisk to bash the cranberries up

2. After around 10 minutes, the cranberries will cook down to a loose jam consistency

3. Remove from the heat, adjust the seasoning with salt and lemon juice and set aside to cool

To serve

1. Warm through the pomme puree on a low heat while stirring regularly to avoid it catching on the base of the pan

2. Serve with the meatballs, a few of the pickles, cranberry sauce and pomme puree topped with the sauce

Thanks for reading!

Jack & Will

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