AUNT BEE'S SWEDISH MEATBALLS AND MEATLOAF

Aunt Bee's Swedish Meatballs and Meatloaf image

Provided by @MakeItYours

Number Of Ingredients 14

2+ pounds chuck hamburger meat
2 large onions, grated into the meat in the bowl
3 eggs slightly beaten
6 slices of cubed bread or bread crumbs, soaked in half-and-half or milk just until moist (but not too soggy) [Note: I have also used about 1 1/2 cups of Panko breadcrumbs with good results]
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt, or more to taste
1 teaspoon pepper
butter and vegetable oil for frying
For the gravy:
Pan drippings
1/4 cup flour, plus additional as needed
1 can beef broth (approximately 2 cups)
2 tablespoons Half-and-half
Salt and pepper, to taste

Steps:

Place the meat in a large bowl. Grate the onions into the meat.
Add eggs, breadcrumbs, sugar, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to gently combine.
Form meatballs on a baking sheet so that they will be ready to fry. I make my meatballs approximately the size of golf balls, but you can form them into any size that suits your family. Smaller meatballs will cook faster in the pan.
Put a few pats of butter and a teaspoon of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Saute meatballs in batches, turning while they cook so that all sides are evenly browned and the meat is cooked through (about 8-10 minutes per batch).
Repeat until all meatballs are cooked.
For the gravy:
Add flour, beef broth, and half-and-half to the pan drippings. Whisk over medium heat until it bubbles and thickens. Whisk consistently so that it doesn't burn or get lumpy. You may need to sprinkle in additional flour (one tablespoon at a time) to get the gravy to thicken to the desired consistency.
To make meatloaf instead of meatballs, simply form the meat mixture into one large loaf. Place it on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for approximately 1 hour. I like to slather the top of my meatloaf with ketchup before baking, but that's totally optional! You could also make a pan sauce like the one described above and serve that over your meatloaf.