Swedish Meat Balls

(Serves:  4)

Swedish meatballs are very tasty. We make both the small (about 1-1/2-inch diameter) ones for the cocktail, and the medium (about 2-1/2-inch diameter) ones for the dinner. Traditionally you scrape the drippings and add to the sauce, but I do not want to add more fat, so I use Worcestershire sauce.

Ingredients for the Meatballs: About 1-1/2 pounds 80% lean ground beef;  5 tbsp. butter, divided; 1 cup diced onion; ¼ tsp. granulated garlic; ¾ cup diced baby bella mushrooms; ¾ cup heavy cream mixed with ¼ cup milk; 1 large egg; 1 packet, about 1 tbsp. instant beef broth; 4 tbsp.dry bread crumbs; 2 tbsp. flour; ½ tsp. dry oregano; salt and pepper to taste; 4 tbsp. oil, divided. To serve: wilted kale and egg noodles, prepared per package direction, cooked about 7 minutes in a salted water and drained.

For the Sauce: 1-1/2 cups heavy cream; ½ cup milk; ½ tsp. onion powder; 4 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce; little salt and pepper.

To make the Meatballs: Heat a heavy-bottom skillet on medium heat. Add 1 tbsp. butter and cook onion. Sprinkle with little salt and garlic powder. Cook stirring on and off for about 8-10 minutes until soft. Take them out in a large bowl. Add 1 more tbsp. butter to the pan and cook mushroom on high heat, until their liquid has evaporated and they start turning light brown, about 5 minutes. Take out the mushrooms in the same bowl. Cool the mixture, and then add to the bowl meat, heavy cream mixture, egg, beef broth, bread crumbs, flour, oregano, salt and pepper to taste, 2 tbsp. oil; mix well with a fork. Then knead with the hand for about 2 minutes, until the mixture is smooth. Wash your hands, and drop about 3 tbsp. mixture onto a platter. Wet your hands, moisten with little oil and start rolling the meatballs; place them in a single layer on a greased platter. Refrigerate and chill them for about 1 hour.

Heat a heavy-bottom skillet with 2 tbsp. oil and 3 tbsp. butter on high heat. Brown the meatballs, and turn them over only when the bottom is browned, scrapping the bottom and turning all around until they are cooked, browned, and crispy outside, about 10 minutes per batch. Keep them warm in a 200-degree oven. Make platter ahead with noodles and the kale; place the meatballs and serve over the sauce.

For the sauce: In a medium pan, bring all the sauce ingredients to a simmer. Simmer 10 minutes on low and pour into the serving platters.

Serve with egg noodles and blanched kale or spinach.