Tabatha's Swedish Meatballs

Swedish Meatballs is a dish that I grew up making with my dad at least once a month. Back in those days though, the seasoning and sauce came from a packet. I have spent the last year creating the perfect Swedish Meatball recipe that uses more ingredients from scratch, but still has that delicious nostalgic taste from my childhood.

Ingredients for the meatballs:

• 1 lb. ground meat (beef, whitetail, elk, etc.)
• 1 lb. Italian sausage
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup onion, minced
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
• 2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper

Ingredients for the sauce:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 6 Tbsp. flour
• 4 cups beef broth
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix all meatball ingredients together with your hands until blended well.
2. Form mixture into 1 1/2" balls.
3. Heat oil in a skillet on medium-high heat, and brown all sides of the meatballs.
4. Once browned, place meatballs in crock pot.
5. Add butter and flour to the skillet and whisk until it turns brown.
6. Slowly stir in beef broth and heavy cream. Add Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer until sauce begins to thicken.
7. Pour sauce over meatballs in crockpot.
8. Cook on low for 3-4 hours. Add more flour before serving if sauce is too thin.

*For a quicker alternative, you can cook this dish on the stovetop. Complete steps 1-3. Then either finish meatballs in skillet or put in the oven at 350°F for 30 minutes. Complete steps 5 and 6, then add cooked meatballs back to skillet, cover, and simmer on low for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Traditionally, Swedish Meatballs are served over egg noodles. Mashed potatoes are another great option. When I'm trying to be a little more healthy, I serve them over my very own mashed cauliflower.

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 1/2 cup butter (I always use Amish butter)
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. heavy cream

Directions:

1. Place cauliflower florets in a large pot with just enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil, and cook until soft, approximately 20 minutes.
2. Place butter, garlic powder, and cream in a food processor.
3. Drain the cauliflower and add to the food processor.
4. Blend until smooth. If needed, add more cream 1/2 Tbsp. at a time until the desired texture is reached, but be careful as it does not take much to make the cauliflower runny. It should be thick like potatoes.