God Jul and Swedish Meatballs.

I'm so excited to be a guest blogger for Scandinavian Christmas 2013! I couldn't decide what to share this year, until I took a look at my Advent Calendar and today was: Make a Swedish Meatball Dinner. Perfect. Swedish Meatballs can be enjoyed at anytime of the year, however, on this cold snowy day in Wisconsin with the Christmas lights lit, I feel it screams Christmas!

I have a 3 month old (Lucy), so I needed a recipe I could prep while she was napping and this is a perfect "make ahead" meal. I adapted a few different recipes to make my own based on what I had on hand.
Sten and I enjoyed this after Lucy went to sleep. I hope you'll enjoy this meal as well!

For the meatballs:
1.25 lbs Ground Turkey
1/2 onion, chopped (I used red)
2 tsp. dried parsley
1 egg beaten
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves

Combine all meatball ingredients together in a bowl, mix thoroughly by hand being careful not to over-mix. Using a Tablespoon make 24-27 meatballs and place evenly spaced on a greased cookie sheet.
Cook at 350 for 18-20 minutes.

Gravy:
1 (15oz) can beef broth
1/2 C milk or cream (I used soy milk bc Lucy has a milk alergy)
1/4 C lingonberries
2 T corn starch
4 T cold water

Combine lingonberries, broth and milk in a saucepan. Bring the liquid mixture to a simmer. Combine the cornstarch with the 4 tablespoons cold water. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the sauce mixture while it is simmering. It will begin to thicken after adding the cornstarch. Continue to simmer until sauce is a gravy-like consistency.
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While the meatballs were in the oven I prepped my potatoes

Roasted Potatoes:
5-6 yellow potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 cloves minced garlic
2 T olive oil
Dill
pepper
salt

Combine ingredients and roast at 450 for 40 mins.

If you too are in need of a "make ahead meal" follow these instructions: after I cooked the meatballs and added them to the gravy, I stuck the saucepan in the fridge. I prepped the potatoes so I could just throw them on the baking sheet and in the oven prior to eating while the meatballs and gravy were warming back up.

This meal was delicious and nutritious. Sten said to me: they taste like Tre Kronor- our favorite Swedish restaurant in Chicago! So glad it showed up on my Advent calendar so I could share it! I hope you can cozy up with someone you love dearly and enjoy this warm comfort meal.

God Jul from my family to yours!