Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)

The classic Swedish stalwart. This comforting winter dish combines tender pork meatballs and blonde gravy - or gräddsås - and way nicer than your favourite furniture store's version.

Swedish meatballs are a big part of Swedish home cooking. Sure, you’ll find them in Norway and Finland too, but Sweden really takes the kudos in promoting Swedish meatballs - or ‘köttbullar’ - on an international stage, via our beloved Ikea furniture store. The essence of Swedish meatballs is pork meatballs - incredibly tender and savoury - combined with a silky, blonde gravy. In Swedish Lapland, this dish is often made with elk meat, giving a richer, darker meatball and accompanying gravy, made darker brown with game stock. It’s an interesting twist if you prefer gamey flavours. Here, however, I’ll teach you the essential Swedish recipe. It’s all very easy, incredibly comforting and so soothing, especially when spooned over buttered mashed potatoes and served with cucumber pickle [GET THE RECIPE] and lingonberry jam [BEST BUY]. It’s a hard-hitter. Let’s go!