Helga's Meatballs

Serves 4-6

For the meatballs:

• ½ cup dry breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
• ½ pound ground chuck or sirloin
• ½ pound ground veal
• ½ pound ground pork
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 large egg
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Combine the breadcrumbs and heavy cream in a small bowl; stir with a fork until all the crumbs are moistened. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, until softened. Remove from the heat.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, veal, pork, onion, honey, and egg, and mix well with your hands. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the breadcrumb-cream mixture and mix well. With wet hands (to keep the mixture from sticking), shape the mixture into meatballs the size of golf balls, placing them on a plate lightly moistened with water. You should have about 24 meatballs.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meatballs, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning frequently, for about 7 minutes, until browned on all sides and cooked through. Transfer the meatballs to a plate, and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet.

For the sauce:

• 1 cup chicken stock
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup lingonberry preserves
• 2 tablespoons pickle juice
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Return the meatball skillet to the heat, whisk in the stock, cream, preserves, and pickle juice, and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the meatballs to the sauce, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are heated through.