SWEDISH MEATBALLS & CREAM SAUCE

You can buy both of these in the Ikea food shops (frozen meatballs,
packet mix sauce) but if you fancy the food without the mile-long
trip round the store and a 30-minute wait at the checkout – and
that doesn’t include the hassle of finding a parking space and
getting out of the car park afterwards – try making these at home
instead. (This amount of meat makes between 25–30 meatballs.)
Redcurrant jelly is a good substitute for the fruit jelly you get
in the Ikea restaurants, which is loganberry I think.
For the meatballs
1⁄2 lb (225 g) pork mince
1⁄2 lb (225 g) beef mince
1 tsp garlic or onion salt
1⁄4 tsp cayenne pepper
Black pepper
For the cream sauce
2 big tsp gravy powder
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tiny tin (7 fl oz/170 g) evaporated milk
3⁄4 pint (450 ml) water (approx)
Method
1. Make the meatballs by squishing the meat and all the
seasonings together in a bowl and rolling the mixture into small
balls with your hands. (Don’t use flour; just wet your hands
with water.) To cook: either flash fry the meatballs for a couple
of minutes in enough hot oil to cover them, then finish in the
oven, or bake them in the oven from the start at Gas Mark 6
(200ºC) for 15–25 minutes – depending on whether or not
they were fried first.
2. Meanwhile, make the cream sauce by pouring the evaporated
milk into a measuring jug and topping it up to the 3⁄4 pint (450
ml) mark with boiling water.
3. Pour the milk/water mixture into a saucepan and bring almost
to the boil over a low heat.
4. While you’re waiting for the milk to boil, mix the gravy powder,
cornflour, sugar and garlic salt with a very little cold water
(about 1–2 tbsp) to make a smooth paste in a mug or small
bowl.
5. As soon as the milk is hot enough (you may notice the
beginnings of a crinkly skin on the surface), add a few
tablespoons of the hot milk to the paste, making sure it’s well
mixed, then pour the warm paste slowly back into the pan,
whisking or stirring all the time to make a thick, lump-free
sauce.
6. Serve the meatballs with chips or rice, with the sauce poured
over the meatballs and the fruit jelly on the side.