These Finnish meatballs, or lihapyorykoita, are my family’s favorite meal. They’re made with punajuuret, or beets, and perunasose, which are mashed potatoes. Serve it with cranberry sauce. Personally, I also like it with a quarter of a pickle on the side.
Preparation Details
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 50 mins
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup plain bread crumbs
- 1 yellow onion, minced
- 1 egg
- ½ cup whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- ½ cup whipping cream
Steps
- Mix ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, egg, cream, salt, and allspice in a bowl with your hands until evenly mixed. Roll mixture into golf ball-sized spheres.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook about half the meatballs in melted butter until evenly browned on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes; remove to a plate and repeat with remaining meatballs, keeping liquid in the skillet when finished.
- Sift flour into the skillet drippings; cook flour in the skillet drippings until brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly stream milk into the skillet while whisking vigorously; pour cream into mixture and stir until smooth. If you aren’t good at making gravy and end up with some lumps you can pour gravy through a strainer. Return all meatballs to the skillet; stir to coat with gravy. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the meatballs are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.
