Venison Swedish Meatballs

Several years ago, a coworker brought Swedish meatballs to a potluck at work. I have to admit, I have never been a big fan of these. I didn't grow up eating them, and I had never even been tempted to make them at home, it just wasn't a flavor I was all that intrigued by. And then I had Sarah's... 

It's really the sauce, because she said they usually just use the store bought meatballs in her family. And tradition at her house was to serve them with no noodles or rice at all, more like an appetizer. This made me love them even more. So, as I created the Super Bowl Ball Feast, I couldn't leave off these tasty morsels. 

To kick it up a little, I made meatballs from scratch. I used a combination of venison and pork and added some of the same spices that are in the sauce. Because they were so rich, I omitted the beef boullion cubes in her original recipe. I would say, if you use store bought meatballs, you might want to add it back in. 

Venison Swedish Meatballs

For the meatballs:

3/4 cup bread crumbs 

3/4 cup milk 

1 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon allspice 

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 

1 cup onion, diced finely 

3 tablespoons butter 

1 pound ground venison 

1 pound ground pork 

2 eggs, slightly beaten

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the bread crumbs, milk, and seasonings and let sit. In a large nonstick pan, saute onions in one tablespoon of butter, and add to bread crumb mixture. Mix in meats and eggs, and mix until very well combined. Using a scoop or tablespoon, form into 1 1/2 inch balls, compact as tightly as you can. Melt remaining butter in the same nonstick pan you used for the onions. Cook meatballs thoroughly, approximately 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove to a tray, and begin sauce. 

For the sauce: 

1/4 cup (half a stick) of butter 

1/4 cup flour 

2 cups whole milk 

1/2 teaspoon allspice 

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 

1/4-1/2 teaspoon dill (to your taste) 

1 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cubes beef bouillon, optional

1/2 cup sour cream 

In a large dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour, and stir until smooth. Gradually add milk, then add spices. Stir and continue to cook over medium heat until sauce thickens, then add sour cream. When sour cream is completely combined, gently stir in meatballs and heat through.