MEATBALLS & LUTEFISK

Meatballs & Lutefisk image

Lutefisk is super common around where I live during the holidays since so many families have Scandinavian heritage. It consists of dried white fish that is pickled in lye & it has a very strong smell and a gelatinous texture, it's quite polarizing to a lot of people but to others, it's very nostalgic. Around here it's often served with meatballs and lefse.

Provided by Molly Yeh

Time 40m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 29

Ingredients

2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion (300 grams), finely chopped
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage, about 4 leaves
2 ounces(56 grams) crustless white country bread, cubed (about 1 1/2 cups cubes)
1/3 cup (113 grams) whole milk
12 ounces (340 grams) 80/20 ground beef
12 ounces (340 grams) ground pork
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 large egg, beaten
3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage, about 4 leaves
1/4 cup (34 grams) all-purpose flour
3 cups (710 grams) low-sodium beef stock
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup (61grams) full fat sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
Lutefisk (See recipe below)
Mashed Potatoes, for serving (optional)
Lefse, for serving (optional)
1 tablespoon neutral oil
1 store-bought package (1.75 pounds) of frozen, skinless lutefisk, thawed
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup melted, unsalted butter, for serving

Steps:

For the meatballs: Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium low heat. Add the onions and sage and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove to a small bowl to cool. Wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel, no need to wash.
While the onions cool, add the bread cubes to a large bowl. Drizzle the milk over and toss to saturate it. Let sit until the bread is softened, about 5 minutes. Squeeze the bread through your fingers to make a paste. Add the beef, pork, parsley, salt, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, egg, and cooled onions. Mix well with your hands. Roll into meatballs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (or use a small ice cream scoop - about 2 tablespoons in volume) and rest on a baking sheet or large plate. You should get about 20 to 22 meatballs.
For the sauce: Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in the over medium heat. When the butter is melted, brown the meatballs all over, in batches, removing them to the plate or baking sheet as they brown, about 4 minutes per batch. (Don't worry if they aren't cooked through at this point, they'll cook more in the sauce.)
Once all the meatballs are out of the pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and melt. Add the sage and cook until sizzling, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to make a paste. Cook to lightly toast the flour, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the beef stock and Worcestershire sauce until smooth. Adjust the heat so the sauce is simmering and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the meatballs and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the meatballs are cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Scoot a few of the meatballs to the side to make a space in the pan and whisk in the sour cream until smooth. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve over mashed potatoes if desired and the lutefisk on the side. Lefse (optional) too, of course.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Grease a baking dish with 1 tablespoon of oil. Set aside.
Rinse the thawed fish well with cold water and pat dry. Place in the prepared baking dish, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until the fish flakes when pierced with a fork. (The internal temperature should be at 140 degrees F.)
Remove the lutefisk from the oven. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with hot melted butter on the side for dressing.