Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs)

Growing up, my mom would occasionally have a few days (or even a week!) off of work, and if my dad and I were lucky, she would use some of her vacation time to prepare a "golden week of food" consisting of meat pies, sweet potatoes, and (if we were really lucky) frikadeller. Frikadeller, or Danish meatballs, are the national dish of Denmark and can be made with beef, veal, pork, lamb or a combination of these meats. These aren't the kind of meatballs that you serve with spaghetti, though - frikadeller stand pretty well on their own, swathed with a bit of gravy and complemented by rødkål and some potatoes or rice. If you have leftovers, frikadeller reheat well and you might even consider making frikadeller sandwiches.

Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs) (6-8 servings)
2 lbs. ground meat (beef, veal, pork, or lamb - or a mixture)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (or allspice, cinnamon, or other spice)
1/2 cup milk
1 T. flour or bread crumbs
1 onion, diced

1. Combine meat, eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, milk, flour / bread crumbs, and 1/2 of onion in a large bowl. Mix well.

2. Caramelize other half of onion in a deep frying pan.

3. Shape meat mixture into balls about the size of an egg and place in pan with caramelized onion. Add enough water to cover meatballs, boil meatballs for 20 minutes. Cook in batches if necessary, add more water to maintain level. [Alternative: Flatten meatballs slightly and fry in butter or vegetable oil, 5 minutes per side or until cooked through.]

4. Remove meatballs from water and add flour to water in pan, stir to dissolve and continue heating until gravy is desired thickness.