IKEA have shared the recipe for their sacred Swedish meatballs to get us through isolation.

All around the world, IKEA is best known for its maze of kitchen displays, frustrating flatpacks that lure you in with fancy-sounding Scandinavian names and of course… Swedish meatballs.

No trip to IKEA is complete without the delicious yet reasonably priced balls of meat that are jam-packed with garlic, salt and childhood promise.

Much like the Bunnings sausage sandwich, the humble IKEA meatball is simply iconic (and mostly the reason we go to the store in the first place).

And now with more of us cooking our way through isolation, IKEA has gifted us with their sacred recipe so we can make the meatballs from our very own home.

“We know that some people might be missing our meatballs, which is why we’ve released an at-home alternative which, using easily accessible ingredients, will help those looking for some inspiration in the kitchen,” said Lorena Lourido, Country Food Manager at IKEA.

“Staying at home can be hard, but we want to help make everyone’s lives that little bit easier and more enjoyable. Bon appétit or, smaklig måltid, as we say in Sweden!”

In true IKEA fashion, the recipe card is styled just like a set of instructions for their famous flat-pack furniture. But unlike their furniture, there’s just six simple steps and it (probably) won’t end in a family fight.

Here's what you need to make the meatballs and the all-important cream sauce.

To make 16 – 20 meatballs:

• 500g beef mince
• 250g pork mince
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic (crushed or minced)
• 100g breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 5 tablespoons of whole milk
• Plus salt and pepper to taste

To make the sauce:

• Dash of oil
• 40g butter
• 40g plain flour
• 150ml vegetable stock
• 150ml beef stock
• 150ml thick double cream
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Here's how to make it.

To make the meatballs, combine the beef and pork mince by mixing thoroughly to break up any lumps. Next, add finely chopped onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, egg and mix. Lastly, add milk to the mixture and season well with salt and pepper.

Then go ahead and shape the mixture into small, round balls and place them on a clean plate. The meatballs will need to covered and store in the fridge for two hours to help them hold their shape while cooking.

After that, heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat. When hot, gently add your meatballs and cook until all the sides are brown. When browned, add to an ovenproof dish and place them in a hot oven (180°C or 160°C fan) to cook for a further 30 minutes.

And just like that, you've made IKEA's iconic meatballs.

To make the cream sauce, melt 40g of butter in a frying pan. Then whisk in 40g of plain flour and continuously stir for two minutes to ensure the flour cooks through. Next, add 150ml of vegetable stock and 150ml of beef stock and continue to stir, before adding 150ml thick double cream, two teaspoons of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard.

Bring the sauce to simmer to make sure it's nice and thick then continue to stir.

Last but not least, drizzle the sauce all over the meatballs and enjoy!

What have you been cooking during isolation? Let us know in the comments below.

Feature Image: IKEA