Oxjärpar Med Gräddsås (Swedish Beef Croquettes)

André Grisell's Note:

A classical Swedish dish. Oxjärpe (singular) means 'Beef hazel hen' which alludes to its shape resembling a hazel hen breast. Maybe not an everyday dish for weight watchers, but they melt in your mouth. Kids usually love it. In Sweden it's often served with cucumber and jelly, but personally I think it doesn't fit.

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 800 g ground beef
• 300 ml heavy cream
• milk (see below)
• 200 ml dry breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• salt
• pepper
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 75 g butter, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 1 dash Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• salt
• pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon wheat flour
• 350 ml beef stock (cubes+water)
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 250 ml heavy cream
• salt
• pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 235 C/455°F.
2. Soak the breadcrumbs in the cream. Different brands of breadcrumbs absorb different amounts of liquid, so add some milk if it becomes very dense. Stir to avoid lumps.
3. Mix butter, parsley, Worcester sauce, salt and pepper to a parsley butter. Divide in eight balls.
4. Fry the onion in the butter until transparent. Let cool.
5. Mix ground beef, breadcrumbs, eggs, egg yolks, fried onion, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
6. Using wet hands, make eight croquettes with a round shape, like chicken breasts. Fill them with the parsley butter balls. Put in a greased oven casserole.
7. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, turning once.
8. In the meantime, make the sauce: Slowly fry the flour in the butter until browned. Add stock and soy sauce and simmer for five minutes. Add cream and reduce the sauce to desired thickness. Season with pepper and salt if necessary.
9. There will probably be some fat from the croquettes in the tray. Discard that.
10. Serve the croquettes hot with sauce, boiled or fried potatoes, pickled cucumber and blackcurrant jelly.