Frikadeller - Danish Meatballs

Meatball Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 brown onions, finely chopped
½ cup fine bread crumbs
1/8 teaspoon allspice
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon oil, for frying

Gravy Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup sour cream
Salt and lots of fresh ground black pepper, to taste of course
2 tablespoons meat drippings
2 14-ounce can chicken broth
1 or 2 teaspoons dill weed

Procedure:

1. Finely chop onion. Add to beef, pork egg and milk. Add seasonings. Mix to incorporate all ingredients. Add bread crumbs and mix just enough to make a uniform mixture.
2. Form the meat mixture into 1-inch balls. Place a rounded tablespoonful of the meat mixture in the palm of your hand. Roll gently between both palms forming a ball. Just roll the ball but do not compress or squeeze any more than just needed to make the balls.
3. In batches, cook the meatballs in a large frying pan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Gently turn the meatballs to cook on all sides until nicely browned. Remove to rack or paper towel to drain. Repeat until all meatballs are cooked.
4. Remove 2 tablespoons fat from the fry pan and reserve. Drain off remaining fat but leave “brown bits.” Place pan over medium heat. Return reserved fat and add 2 tablespoons butter. When melted, add flour. Stir and cook to make roux and incorporate “brown bits” left in the pan. Cook until roux is light brown, about 10 minutes. Slowly add chicken broth in batches stirring well to make smooth mixture between additions. Taste and add salt if needed. Add dill weed. Continue cooking and stirring until gravy thickens. Fold in sour cream. Return meatballs to frying pan, stirring, until heated through. Remove from heat. Place in serving bowl and add a generous sprinkle of fresh ground black pepper.

Note: I made a couple variations to the dish I made. For the meat balls, I used all pork and no beef. I also only used 1 onion. I didn't have allspice or dill weed on hand, so I used a garlic seasoning instead.