And one of the most popular meatballs around, would definitely have to be the swedish ones from IKEA (well, at least on this part of the world ^^||). It was love at first bite for me ^^ We sometimes visit IKEA not to shop but just to have meatballs! (^^)
But a year or more ago, I noticed that the meatballs in IKEA were getting really fake/weird.. Though beefy-ier tasting and smelling (I bet it's just beef extract and flavoring).. it is less meaty and you can tell they've been adding more starch or something.. that it feels/tastes more like beef-ball (think fish-ball)! It has also magically shrunk too! Sad, no?
Anyways, I came across a recipe for IKEA swedish meatball in iamafoodblog a few months back, and I've been meaning to make it... but somehow never got to it ^^|| But here we are at last!
IKEA swedish meatballs (adapted from iamafoodblog who adapted from ikea-friends.com)
1/2 pound (227g) minced beef
1/2 pound (227g) minced pork (I used minced pork belly ^^)
1 egg (???! I missed this totally! ^^||)
2 small potatoes
2.5 tbsp yellow onion, diced (I used a big whole yellow onion.. yums!)
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to season
1/4 tsp allspice (I didn't have any.. so I used a pinch of mixed herbs.. otherwise just omit)
1. Peel and dice potatoes into small chunks. Put diced potaotes in a pot of boiling water and cook till soft. Drain water and mash them up while hot. Set aside.
2. Fry diced onions with some butter till brown and set aside.
3. Mix minced beef, minced pork, egg (I so totally missed this ingredient! but honestly, I felt it made no difference to the outcome ^^), mashed potatoes, onions, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper to taste and allspice (I personally think this is optional ^^) till well combined. Shape meat mixture into rounds or balls (I had no problem shaping/"glue-ing" the meatballs despite not adding egg.. it didn't break apart at all ^^).
4. In a non-stick frying pan, heat the rest of the butter on MEDIUM heat and fry meatballs till nicely brown and cooked. Don't leave it too long without turning! Turn, turn, turn! (You know I'm a hopeless "fry-er", right? So is it any wonder I burnt my meatballs too???! ^^||)
5. If you can't fry (like me), opt to bake your meatballs at 200C for about 15-20 minutes! You'll be happy you did that! Just don't forget to grease/line your baking dish. And if you like, spray/brush the meatballs with some butter/cooking oil. (^^)
I cannot tell a lie.. the meatballs are DELICIOUS!!! And yes! they taste just like the ones from IKEA!!! despite my forgetting to add the precious egg and omission of allspice ^^ It tastes REAL and exceptionally GOOD! (^^)
Just for the record, the pan-fried meatballs tastes slightly better (despite my burning them) due to it being browned and crispy all over compared to the baked ones. Anyways, if you prefer the baked meatballs a little bit more crisp, you could do a quick pan-fry just before serving to get them browned. But if you are planning to add the meatballs into spaghetti sauce, the baked meatballs are absolutely perfect! (^^)
Well, I never expected meatballs to be so easy to make (except the frying part ^^||) and it turned out really well too! We love it! This is an absolute keeper! (^^)
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