Monday, April 16, 2012

The Swedish Chef Diaries – Swedish Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy (and lingonberry jam)


Samantha was the first brave soul to visit us out here, coming in all the way from LA. I knew that there was only one option to greet her at the door when she arrived after a long day in the air. The original Swedish dish - MEATBALLS
Evidently the grocers were taking care of Sam (not a fan of seafood) and had chicken breast and ground beef for sale during the week. First time I had seen either of those options discounted, so we wanted to take full advantage. After some quick research I found a traditional Swedish recipe at the Annesfood blog (link below) and went to work.
I’ve made meatballs pretty often – usually using recipes from my mom or the Giovanello’s family secret. This recipe was a lot different with much “sweeter” spices used (probably not the correct word). Instead of basil and oregano, it called for cinnamon and allspice (among others). One problem we’ve run into so far is that our spice rack is still in route – so we haven’t bought too many temporary replacements. We have pepper, salt, paprika and an Italian mix. After checking out the spices and potential substitutes, I figured that I could just buy cinnamon and it would give a pretty good replication of the taste.
I decided to traditionally fry the meatballs, and they were just finishing up as Sam walked in the door. I quickly transitioned to the gravy (using greek yogurt instead of cream), and the mashed potatoes. Gravy – solid. Potatoes – oddly shiny….not sure why, probably bought the wrong type of potatoes?
Overall, we had a few substitutions and some things that didn’t exactly as planned, but I think it was a pretty solid “welcome to swwwweeeeeden”

Overall Score (out of 5)–
Jon – 4 BORKS
Lisa – 3,5 BORKS (the potatoes really hurt the overall score)
Samantha – 5 BORKS!!!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Leave your thoughts here