Swedish Cardamom Meatballs - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 cup milk (I use buttermilk)
1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb ground pork
3 eggs
salt & pepper (to taste)
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
1 1/2 cups yellow onions, finely chopped (divided use)
1/2 cup butter (divided use)
2 tablespoons sugar
3 cups beef broth
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons gravy mix
1 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 -4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water
Optional Lingonberry sauce
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup lingonberry preserves or 1/4 cup lingonberry jam

Preparation

Soak bread crumbs in milk or buttermilk in large mixing bowl for 5 minutes. Add meat, eggs, salt & pepper, cardamom and 1 cup chopped onion. Mix well and roll into 1-1/2\" meatballs. It helps to wet your hands as you roll.
Saute meatballs in 1/4 cup butter approximately 20 minutes. Remove browned meatballs and set aside.
In same skillet, saute 1/2 cup chopped onion with 1/4 cup butter, sugar and pepper unti caramelized, about 10 minumtes.
Add beef broth to onion & sugar mixture, scraping up any browned bits from the pan. Briefly cook over high heat.
Add cream, gravy maker and all other spices and bring to a simmer.
Make a slurry of the cornstarch & water and whisk the slurry into the mixture to thicken.
If you're going to serve the meatballs right away, add them to the sauce and simmer another 20-30 minutes. Otherwise, cool and refrigerate sauce & meatballs, either together or separately. (I do this separately, as I often freeze the meatballs without the sauce.).
Combine all ingredients for the lingonberry sauce and mix well.
Serve meatballs in a chafing dish with sauce and lingonberry sauce on the side as a dip.