IKEA may have helped popularize Swedish meatballs in this country, but my first experience of them came in the form of room service at the Diplomat Hotel in Stockholm. I was traveling alone for business, holed up in my room in comfy clothes with books to keep me company. I ordered the only thing on the menu that looked familiar—meatballs—that first night. They were so good I think I licked the plate clean. I stayed in and ordered the meatballs every night for the rest of the trip! Since then I’ve been on a quest to find a Swedish meatball as good, and I think we’ve done it here. If you like the IKEA meatballs, be prepared; these are way better. Flavored with nutmeg and cardamom, these little beef-and-pork meatballs are best served with a rich meat gravy spiked with sour cream and a little lingonberry jelly. You can serve the jelly on the side if you want, but it tastes great mixed right into the sauce, which is what we’ve done here.

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