Norwegian meatballs, like Norwegian waffles, have a million and one recipes all claiming they’re the definitive…. but for me, this is it. It’s the recipe my mum used when I was small, so the taste for me is iconic Norwegian (and is best enjoyed with fluffy mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables and of course the built-in gravy). Now – some people will say that it’s Sweden who has meatballs and Norway who has meat-cakes (rissole-size) – it’s up to you, but I personally love the meatball size – and for me, these blow the Swedish competition right out of the water.

Ingredients

• 2.5kg ground meat (1/3 each of beef, veal and pork – but if you can’t get/don’t want veal, beef and pork is grand)
• 2 Medium onions, finely ground
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp allspice
• 1 tbsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 2 Eggs, beaten
• ½ cup full cream milk
• ½ cup breadcrumbs
• 4-5 Beef bouillon cubes or 4-5 tsp. instant beef bouillon
• 2 tbsp self-raising flour

Method

Heat over to 180 degrees.

Combine all meatball ingredients, kneading by hand for 5 minutes or more to blend spices into meat. Lightly grease or coat shallow baking pans with no-stick cooking spray. Form small round meat balls; dipping hands into cold water to shape smooth. Bake 10 to 15 minutes.

Place cooked meatballs in large kettle; add bouillon cubes, meat drippings from baking pan and water to cover. Stir in flour (I make a roux first so the flour doesn’t get gluggy), heat to boiling; then simmer 1 hour. Remove meatballs and thicken gravy with flour to desired consistency.

Cook’s tip

• To make a roux, melt 1 tbsp of butter, add in 2 tbsp of flour and mix fully until there’s no dry flour and the roux is a smooth paste. You can then add this to any liquid without worrying about a floury taste or clumps forming
• You can freeze the meatballs for convenient heating and eating later – just put them into either a click-seal bag with the gravy (make sure to squeeze the air out completely!) or into a conventional take-away food container. They still taste sensational and it makes for a super quick dinner!