Bringing Home IKEA and Making Meatballs

Ever been to IKEA? I have. And I love it there. I love almost everything about it; except for the feeling you get once you're half way through the store, you are exhausted from sitting on couches, lying in beds, pretending you have a really stylish house, and just want to GET OUT! I'm sure you're nodding your head in agreement right now. And I'm also almost positive you're thinking about two things: the $1 hotdog with your name on it after the checkout and those delicious meatballs!

Call me crazy, but I can't go through an IKEA without grabbing a plastic tray and waiting my turn in the cafeteria line-up to get a plate of those sweet little meatballs. I probably wouldn't accept this style of food service at any other restaurant. And I admit that I sometimes catch myself looking over my shoulder making sure that no one I know is around watching me indulge in my guilty pleasure. But once my plate is licked clean and stashed in their great dirty tray conveyor belt, I can't help but feel satisfied, happy, and excited to build my new furniture!

It's thanks to these meatballs that I was able to convince Nick to just step foot into an IKEA. All of his work experience has given him quite the expensive taste in designer furniture. To him, IKEA furniture is cheap cheap cheap. But that's exactly why (at this time in our lives) I think it's so great! I don't need a beautifully hand carved and timeless oak dining room table for $1500. I need a table that cleans easily, looks nice, and stands upright.... catch my drift?

So after our first trip to IKEA where all we bought was a large plate of meatballs (and two dollar hotdogs), I was able to open Nick's eyes to a whole world of furniture in our price range! Thank you IKEA meatballs, for helping furnish my apartment. XO

Homemade IKEA Meatballs with Crispy Potato Wedges

Meatballs:         
500 g     lean beef mince
1 large    brown onion, grated
1 clove   garlic, minced
1/2 cup   quinoa flakes
1             egg
3 tbsp     milk
1/4 cup   chopped parsley
1/4 cup   chopped mint
2 tsp       salt
1 tsp       pepper

Glaze:
1/2 cup   raspberry jam
1/4 cup   thickened cream
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to max on the grill (broiler) setting. In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients for the meatballs. Roll the mixture into ping pong sized balls and line up on a parchment lined sheet tray.

Place the tray on the top rack of your oven and grill for 5-10 minutes until the tops are golden brown and sizzling. Flip over the meatballs and grill for another 5 minutes. They should be completely cooked through at this stage.

All that's left to do is saute the meatballs in a touch of chicken stock and all of the raspberry jam. Once the sauce thickens and coats the meatballs, drizzle in the cream. Turn the heat to low and flip the meatballs in the sauce for another minute. Season with salt and pepper and make sure to taste the sauce. You want it to be sweet and creamy, but savory at the same time. This is dinner, not dessert. Time to serve up and enjoy!

Crispy Potato Wedges:

Take 8 washed baby potatoes and cut each one into 6 wedges. Put the wedges in a mixing bowl and add 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp dried bread crumbs, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp paprika, and 1 tsp oregano. Mix together and spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 200 degrees C for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown and soft on the inside.

You can omit the bread crumbs if you want, I just like to use them because they give the outsides of the potatoes a great crunch. It makes them taste just like the frozen wedges you know and love but these ones are homemade with love and without any weird chemicals or preservatives.

This was a great meal to have on a Monday night. I was still recovering from a busy weekend, and this dinner was simple to put together, no stress, and tasted so good! If you don't have quinoa flakes there are two options. Either throw some whole quinoa into a food processor and make your own flakes, or just use breadcrumbs. I used quinoa because I like the nutritional value it adds to food. The meat balls will be fully cooked after being under the grill, so they are a great recipe to make ahead. All you have to do is reheat them in the sauce and they're ready to go! The sauce is slightly sweet and glossy, just make sure you add a little salt to balance the sweetness.

I paired the meatballs with the wedges because that's the kind of potato we had sitting in the cupboard. But as it turned out the sauce from the meatballs was just perfect to dip the wedges into! Way better than ketchup, I swear. But these meatballs would be just as good with some creamy mashed potatoes, plain rice pilaf, or... fresh rolls?... I think I just got another idea ;)