Paleo Swedish Meatballs

Ah meatballs....so delicate, so time consuming, so delicious.   Normally when I decide to make meatballs,  I add a ton of fresh herbs and spices, so they're colorful and flavor packed.  Swedish meatballs have a much milder flavor, and are delicious with ligonberry jam (or any other fruit for that matter, I had some currant on hand).

I adapted this recipe from this month's Bon Appetite magazine, and while you can eat these twice as fast as you can prepare them, you can still be transported to Ikea (er, Scandanavia) for a savory little treat.

1 cup almond meal

2 1/3 c chicken stock

butter

1 onion, diced

2 thick sliced bacon

1 lb grass fed ground beef

1 lb ground pork

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

1 tbs arrowroot

Mix almond flour and 1/3 c stock in a large bowl and set aside.  In a very large skillet or dutch oven melt a little butter and saute the onions.  Remove those and add to the almond meal, then cook bacon in the same pan.  Remove bacon, drain and crumble into the onions and almond meal. Add beef, pork, eggs, salt, pepper, allspice and nutmeg to the bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands.  Roll into small balls. 

Melt a tbs or so of butter in the pan, and brown all sides of the meatballs (you might have to do a couple batches).  After you've browned them all, add the arrowroot to the pan and whisk until it forms a paste.  Add the remaining stock, scraping up all the good bits on the bottom of the pan, and bring to a simmer.

Return the meatballs to the pan and cook another 5-6 minutes (depending on the size of your meatballs). If you like a thicker gravy, remove the meatballs and let the sauce reduce for another 4-6 minutes.