Spaghetti is usually the first thing that comes to mind when most people hear the word meatballs. But those tasty morsels are much more versatile. For example, meatballs can be found in soups and stews or served with sauces.

Another way to serve meatballs is over mashed potatoes. This is very common in Scandinavia, particularily Sweden. I recently tried my hand with Swedish meatballs, and the result was especially satisfying. We had them with mashed potatoes, of course, and also some baked winter squash, corn on the cob and salad.

Swedish Meatballs
1 pound lean ground beef (can substitute venison or elk)
½ pound pork sausage
1½ cups soft bread crumbs
½ cup half and half
½ cup milk
½ cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 egg
¼ finely snipped parsley
1¼ teaspoons salt
Dash pepper
Dash ground ginger
Dash ground nutmeg
Mix meat thoroughly. Soak bread crumbs in cream and milk for about 5 minutes. Cook onion in 1 tablespoon butter.| Mix egg, crumb mixture, onion, parsley, salt, pepper and spices. Add meat. Mix by hand until well-combined. Shape into 1-inch meatballs. (Mixture may be soft, so for easier shaping, wet hands of chill mixture first.) Brown meatballs in 2 tablespoons butter. Remove from skillet.
Next, make gravy by melting 2 tablespoons butter in skillet with drippings. Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Add 1 beef bouillon cube dissolved in 1¼ cups boiling water. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add meatballs to gravy. Cover and cook slowly for 30 minutes, basting often. Serve with mashed potatoes.