Mom's Christmas Swedish Meatballs

My mom found this recipe years ago in the newspaper and has perfected it over the years. We all make it every year for Christmas, it just isn't Christmas without these luscious meatballs!

• Ready In: 2 hrs
• Serves: 10-12

Ingredients

• 2  cups  chopped onions
• 3  tablespoons butter
• 2  cups  breadcrumbs
• 2  quarts half-and-half
• 2 1⁄2 lbs ground beef
• 1 1⁄2 lbs ground pork
• 3 -3 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 3⁄4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 4  beaten eggs
• 1  tablespoon dried parsley
• 1⁄4 cup butter
• 1⁄4 cup flour

Directions

1. Saute onions in 3 T. butter. Let cool a bit and lightly mix the meat, onions, bread crumbs, eggs, 1 1/2 cups of the cream. salt, pepper, nutmeg and parsley. Form into meatballs, about the size of a small walnut, place on cookie trays, and bake at 375 for 20-25 mn.
2. Put in two casseroles, and make the cream gravy.
3. Melt the 1/4 cup butter in a large, heavy saucepan Add the 1/4 cup flour, a touch more salt and pepper, cook for at least one minute. Do not brown. Gradually add the remaining cream, stirring continuously, until thickened. I like to add some Kitchen Bouquet for more flavor and some color at this point.
4. Pour over the meatballs.
5. Note: At this point, we generally freeze them and then defrost and bake for an hour or so on Christmas, as this recipe makes a lot of meatballs, so it is time consuming and who wants to do all that on the day of, right?.
6. Also, you can freeze the cooked meatballs alone, and make the gravy later and pour it over the meatballs right before you bake them.