Skillet Swedish Meatballs — Rolling Twenty-Nine Years of Julbord Into One Pan

St. Lucia Day without Sophie. I baked the lussebullar anyway — the saffron buns, golden and beautiful — and I lit the candles and I sang "Santa Lucia" alone in the kitchen at six AM while Paul slept and Sven lay at my feet and the house was dark except for the candle flames and my voice was the only voice and it was enough. It had to be enough. Sophie called that evening from her dorm. She was studying for finals but she said, "Did you do Lucia, Grandma?" I said, "Of course." She said, "Save me buns. I'll be home next week." I said, "There are always buns." This is true. In this house, there are always buns. The julbord preparations began in earnest this week. Pickled herring: three kinds, curing in jars. Meatballs: the rolling starts this weekend. Jansson's temptation: potatoes sliced, anchovies ready. The Christmas ham will be boiled and glazed on December 23. The rice pudding will be made December 24 morning, stirred for two hours, the almond hidden inside. Paul helped where he could. He peeled potatoes — right hand, peeler, concentration that was visible and painful to watch. He grated cheese. He stirred things. His left hand rested in his lap or gripped the counter edge for stability. I didn't comment. I assigned him tasks that required one reliable hand and gave him the dignity of contributing to the meal he's contributed to for twenty-nine years. The appointment is December 20. Nine days. I've told Anna about it — she needs to know, she's the oldest, and I needed one person to know besides me. I called her Wednesday night after Paul went to bed. I said, "Dad has an appointment with a neurologist in Minneapolis on December 20." Silence. Then: "Why?" I explained. The hand. The clumsiness. The EMG. The referral. Anna listened without interrupting, which is how you know Anna is scared — when she's not scared, she talks. When she's scared, she goes quiet. She said, "What do you think it is, Mom?" I said what I said to Paul on the highway: "I think we wait and see." She said, "Mom." I said, "I think we wait and see, Anna." She said, "Okay." She didn't push. She's my daughter. She knows when I've given all I can give. I made glögg — the mulled wine — on Saturday evening. Red wine, aquavit, spices, raisins, almonds. The house filled with the smell of Christmas and I drank a cup and the warmth went through me and for one hour — one hour — I didn't think about December 20. I thought about the wine and the candles and the snow and the buns and the way the kitchen looks when it's full of food and purpose, which is the way it looks right now. Nine days. The food is being made. The house is being prepared. The appointment is coming. All of these things are happening at the same time because that's how life works — the celebration and the fear share the same calendar. You make glögg. You wait for test results. You do both.

The meatball rolling starts this weekend — it always does, right around now — and this year I’ll set Paul up at the counter with a sheet pan and a bowl of the mixture, because rolling meatballs is a one-reliable-hand task if ever there was one. We’ve made these together for twenty-nine julbords, and the recipe hasn’t changed, and that’s the point. Some things you hold steady precisely because other things won’t stay still. Here is how we make them.

Skillet Swedish Meatballs

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef (80/20)
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup finely minced yellow onion
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups beef broth
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
• Lingonberry jam, for serving

Instructions

1. Soak the breadcrumbs. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs and milk. Let sit for 5 minutes until the milk is absorbed.
2. Mix the meatball mixture. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, soaked breadcrumbs, egg, minced onion, salt, pepper, allspice, and nutmeg. Mix gently with your hands until just combined — do not overwork.
3. Roll the meatballs. Using about 1 tablespoon of mixture per meatball, roll into smooth balls with damp hands. You should get approximately 36 meatballs. Place on a sheet pan as you go.
4. Brown the meatballs. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the meatballs on all sides, about 5 to 6 minutes per batch. Transfer browned meatballs to a plate. They do not need to be cooked through.
5. Make the cream sauce. Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter to the skillet. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk constantly for 1 minute. Slowly pour in the beef broth, whisking to prevent lumps. Add the heavy cream, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard. Stir until smooth and bring to a gentle simmer.
6. Simmer the meatballs in the sauce. Return all meatballs to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring gently once or twice, until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
7. Serve. Taste the sauce and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with lingonberry jam alongside egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or on the julbord table as tradition demands.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 26g | Fat: 31g | Carbs: 9g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 680mg